Eye of the Fire Dragon
by snakeboy33
Summary: A sort of spin-off of "Eye of the Black Dragon". When Natsu devours the Etherion in the Tower of Heaven, instead of Dragon Force, he achieves a far greater power, one that he intends to use to the fullest extent. But he fails to realize, just who he may hurt in the process. NaLu
1. Eye of Fire Dragon

_**Eye of the Fire Dragon**_

There have only ever been two major priorities in Natsu's mind: find Igneel, and protect those he loved, in other words, Fairy Tail. Nothing made the Dragon Slayer angrier than someone bringing one of his family pain. And seeing Erza cry over the death of her friend… And the one who brought the pain laughing…

"If that's not pure idiocy I don't know what is!" Jellal cried, roaring in laughter, "That's what we call 'dying in vain'! The complete and utter…" He was abruptly silenced by Natsu's fist colliding with his face, sending him flying away.

Natsu didn't bother to say anything, as he grabbed a piece of Etherion, and held it up to this mouth. Erza looked up, as she watched through her tears.

"Natsu," she whispered. Jell looked up in shock at the pink haired man.

"Wait! You're not going to…," he said, but it was too late.

Natsu bit a massive chunk out of the Etherion crystal. He then let out a massive, animalistic roar, as fire flared around him.

"Did he just… eat the Etherion?" Erza asked.

"This guy….," Jellal muttered.

"Are you crazy!" Erza cried at Natsu, "Etherion is composed of lots of elements, not just fire! That can kill you!"

Natsu fell to his knees, as he grabbed another piece, and forced it down his throat. Jellal stared in shock.

_In his desperation, he tried to eat raw Magic Power?_ he thought _What did he think would happen? This guy's getting destroyed by his own stupidity!_

The fire that surrounded Natsu flared brighter, as it began to consume him.

"NATSU!" Erza cried.

**(in Natsu's mind)**

_It hurts._

He generally didn't feel hot. Now he didn't just feel hot, he felt like his skin was burning away. The power of the Ehterion was consuming him.

In his mental plain, Natsu could see nothing but fire, as it slowly began to swallow him. He could see Igneel flying away, as Natsu tried to reach for him, only to find he couldn't move.

_Don't leave me, _Natsu thought. Then he saw the members of Fairy Tail. The Old Man, Levy, Gray, Erza, and all the others, they were all fading away. Natsu then began to feel his eyes beginning to grow heavy.

That was when he saw her…

The image of the blonde girl appeared before him. Natsu could see every detail about her; her soul seeing eyes, her sun-kissed hair, and her beautiful smile.

_Lucy…_

**(in the real world)**

Natsu let out another roar, as the fire suddenly formed into a shape of a massive dragon.

_A dragon?_ Erza thought in awe.

"What the hell?!" Jellal said out loud. The fire then suddenly began to swirl over Natsu, as it concentrated into his right eye. Then it suddenly rippled out in a wave. Erza and Jellal stared through the dust at Natsu, as he turned to face them. But something was different, namely his eye.

His eye had turned a glowing, fiery orange, with a reptilian slit in the center. The eye blazed like a wildfire.

"Eye of the Fire Dragon."

**(outside the Tower of Heaven)**

Lucy turned, she could sense something. No one else on the boat seemed to notice it.

"Natsu…," Lucy murmured. She then looked up at the Tower of Heaven.

"Just come back to me," she whispered

**(in the Tower of Heaven)**

"'Eye of the Fire Dragon'?" Erza echoed. She could feel the power surging from him; the power was absolutely immense.

"What is this?" Jellal muttered.

Natsu looked at his hands. This power… It was beyond anything he had ever felt before. He then clenched his fists. It was time Natsu ended this battle, and Erza's pain.

"So what if you survived eating the Etherion?" Jellal demanded, "It doesn't matter!" His body then began to glow, as he got ready to shoot at Natsu. However, Natsu beat him to the punch, as he sprung at Jellal, holding up his fist.

"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!" he said, as he smashed his fist into Jellal. However, the power behind this fist was greater than ever before. It sent Jellal flying, slamming him into the Etherion crystal. Natsu then held up his arms, as a cloak of fire coated his body, including wings, and a tail; even a crown of horns formed from the fire. With that, Natsu then flapped his arms, flapping the wings in the process. He then took to the air, and soared towards Jellal.

"Meteor!" Jellal said, as he shot away from Natsu, crisscrossing around. He then turned to face Natsu, holding up his arms.

"Heavenly Arrows!" he said, shooting out his golden arrows at Natsu. Natsu didn't move, as the arrows hit him, only to harmlessly bounce off Natsu's fire armor. Jellal cringed, as he tried to fly away, but Natsu was faster, as he quickly caught up to Jellal.

"Fire Dragon's Tail!" Natsu roared, as he lashed the fire tail at Jellal, knocking him away. Natsu's chest began to glow, like there were embers beneath within his body. He then let out a roar, as he exhaled a massive cloud of fire at Jellal. Erza gasped. That wasn't Natsu's "Fire Dragon's Roar", that was him breathing fire. Jellal held up his arms.

"Heavenly Shield!" The shield formed in front of Jellal, but the fire quickly overcame the shield. Before the fire could completely disintegrate the man, Jellal managed to escape with his Meteor. Natsu then held up his hand, as a three-clawed made out of fire formed around his hand. He then descended upon Jellal, and slashed, hitting Jellal straight in the chest, leaving three burn marks across his chest. But Natsu wasn't done yet. He grabbed Jellal by the head, still with the fiery talon, and threw him across the area.

Natsu took a breath, as he turned to face Jellal. His fire tail didn't dissipate, instead it just lashed about around him. He clenched and unclenched his claws, as he stared down his foe. Jellal weakly rose to his feet to try and face Natsu.

"This ends now!" he declared, as he held up his hands, gathering together a black orb of energy, "Altairis! Now die!" He then launched the orb at Natsu, who held still. His chest then lit up again, as he let loose his fire. The fire completely consumed the orb, burning it away completely.

"That's… that's not possible," Jellal muttered, completely appalled that his attack failed. His anger than began to flare up like Natsu's fire.

"You can't beat me! I'm the one who hears Zeref's voice! I'm the one who will create the world of freedom!" Jellal then held up his hands, as he an enormous magic seal flared up. Erza recognized that spell.

"Jellal! You can't do that! You'll kill us all!" she cried.

"I don't care!" Jellal roared, "I have to create this world! Now fast the power, of the Abyss break!" Natsu then flapped back into the air, as he folded his wings in, before spinning, creating a massive tornado of fire.

"You and your 'world of freedom', can go to hell!" Natsu roared, "Any world given by a ghost is no world worth living!" The tornado of fire then blasted at Jellal.

"Dragon Slayer's Secret Technique: Fire Dragon's Storm!" Natsu roared, as he shot at Jellal. He then crashed into his foe, consuming Jellal in fire, and sending him crashing through the Lacrima. With that, Natsu landed on the ground, as his fire cloak vanished, but his Dragon's Eye remained. He then turned his attention to Erza.

"Are you alright?" he asked, as he tried to move towards her, only to lose his footing, and fall down.

"Natsu!" Erza called, as she moved over to him.

"I'm fine," Natsu said, as he looked up, the same goofy smile he always had on his face, "Can't you see I just took down this guy?" Erza just smiled at her friend. Suddenly, she sensed something.

"The Tower of Heaven," she muttered.

"What about it?" Natsu asked. Erza weakly rose to her feet.

"It won't be able to contain the power of the Etherion much longer," she said.

"Then let's get out of here!" Natsu said, "I'll just fly out!"

"No." Natsu looked at her in surprise.

"What are you talking about?" he asked, "I can fly us anywhere!"

"It won't matter," Erza said, leaning on the crystals, "The explosion will be too big. You won't be able to get to a safe distance in time."

"Then what do we do?" Natsu asked, "Maybe…"

"I've got to merge with the Etherion," Erza said, as she turned to the crystal, staring at her reflection, "Its the only way."

"The hell its the only way!" Natsu roared, as his eye flared up, as did his chest, "There's always another way!"

"Not this time," Erza said sadly, as she turned to Natsu, smiling slightly, "All I can tell you, is to live on. I can't imagine a world existing without you or the others." Natsu just stared at her, his teeth clenched.

"Take care of the others, especially Lucy," Erza said. With that, she put her hand on the Etherion, which began to be soaked in, followed by her body.

"No!" Natsu roared, as he leapt at her, tears streaming down his face, but it was too late. Erza vanished into the crystal.

"ERZA!" Natsu roared. But he received no response, as the Tower of Heaven began to glow. Natsu's fist clenched, as he let out a roar that didn't seem human, but draconic. His eye glowed brighter than ever before, as a colossal column of fire consumed him, and the entire area.

**(outside of the Tower of Heaven)**

"Look at that!" Millianna said, pointing. Everyone turned, save Lucy who was already looking, at the Tower of Heaven, as it was consumed with fire.

"What is that?" Sho asked.

"That looks like Natsu's magic," Gray said, "But it looks much more powerful!" Lucy folded her hands, and held them to her face, as if praying.

_Don't you leave me, idiot_ she thought.

"Natsu," Happy mumbled.

Suddenly, the fire collapsed, as did the Tower of Heaven, and shot into the sky.

"Erza!" Gray cried.

"Natsu!" Lucy cried. There was nothing but silence, as the last traces of the fire faded away.

"No, that can't be!" Gray yelled.

"That's not dandy!" Wally said.

"Erzy," Millianna whispered, as covered her mouth, tears dripping down her face.

Lucy just stared, as a tears formed in her eyes.

**(later)**

Erza let out a gasp, as she opened her eyes. She could see a blue sky, with light beginning to come into existence. She then heard a cry, as she turned, and saw everyone running towards her.

"What..," she muttered, then she looked up, and saw Natsu. He was carrying her.

"Good, you're awake," Natsu said, before looking down at her, "Don't every do that again! You hear me?"

Erza stared in shock, before it turned into a smile. She then felt tears dripping down both her eyes, for the first time in years.

"Loud and clear," she said, as she embraced her friend.

**Note: Well, here it is, my attempt at "Eye of the Fire Dragon". Now first thing I want to establish is the pairing in this WILL be NaLu. Because this is technically canon Natsu, and I think its apparent that canon Natsu is going to end up with Lucy. So I apologize for NaZa fans, like myself (though I like NaLu more). That said, don't assume "Eye of the Black Dragon" will be any certain pairing at this point.**

**I'm still very worried about the potential of this just turning into a recycle of canon, or "Eye of the Black Dragon". That said, Natsu Dragneel's fighting style with Dragon's Eye, is much different from Natsu Dragonia's. Unlike Dragonia, Dragneel wouldn't use the power of Dragon's Eye to create massive arms to reach and grab at Jellal. To the contrary, Natsu would use this power to create armor that he could fight with. I decided to omit Erza's vision in the Etherion, since I figured it would more or less follow canon.**

**Natsu's Dragon's Eye, is essentially supposed to be the eye of Smaug the Dragon. You just might end up getting a number of nods to Smaug in this, seeing as he's my all time favorite dragon in fiction, and since like Smaug, Natsu breathes fire…**

**In all, I hope you enjoyed this. I wasn't sure how to end this, since it is supposed to more or less follow canon, only Natsu defeats Jellal, and saves Erza a different way.**


	2. Calm After the Storm

_**Calm After the Storm**_

"You should've seen it!" Natsu said proudly, thumping his chest, "I took down Jellal without breaking a sweat!" He, and the other members of Fairy Tail, along with Erza's friends were assembled at the Lumina Casino, with the Fairy Tail goers getting ready to head back to their guild, while the others reading to go wherever.

"That sounds impressive!" Lucy said.

"Aye!" Happy chimed him.

"It does, but not entirely true," Erza said, "Before you activated this 'Eye of the Fire Dragon', you had to eat Etherion. And before then…"

"Well I still beat him, didn't I?" Natsu interrupted, before pointing at Erza, "First thing we're doing when we get back is fighting! Now that I've got this new ability, I can beat you!"

"Some other time," Erza said, turning, and waving her hand dismissively. Ignoring Natsu's disappointed look, the scarlet haired woman had her doubts that she would actually be able to beat Natsu if they fought again. After Natsu used his Dragon's Eye, he beat Jellal very easily, and considering Jellal was probably stronger than Erza, chances are, if Natsu used that technique again, he would beat Erza without much trouble. Heck, he may be able to even beat Laxus.

"Well, that's in the future," Erza continued, "This is the present. And seeing as we just had a major victory, I say we celebrate!"

"Aye!" Happy and Natsu said in unison. With that, the group set out to do exactly that.

Gray and Juvia set out to ride the water slide, or more accurately, Juvia dragged Gray to the water slide, and forced him to ride it with her.

Erza spent time catching up with her childhood friends. She was shocked to learn what Jellal had shanghaied them into doing, and was intent on making sure that they didn't have to go through anything like that again.

That left Natsu, Lucy, and Happy. Though Natsu was intent on riding all the rides, and going all out, he was more sapped for energy than he thought. So instead, the three were sitting at a table, eating lots of food. Well actually, Lucy was eating only a little, and Happy was mostly just eating fish, and most of the food was going to Natsu. He even sucked up a couple of the candles.

"You know, I'd think after you ate what was essentially pure magic, you'd be slightly less hungry," Lucy commented.

"Come on, you know Natsu better than that!" Happy said, as he gulped down the rest of his fish, and reached for another, "Natsu isn't Natsu if he isn't hungry."

Natsu wasn't paying attention, but in all honesty, not all his attention was on his food, either. Instead, he was thinking about the vision he had when he unlocked Dragon's Eye. That image he saw of Lucy… Though Natsu had known Lucy for a very short amount of time compared to the others, there was something about her. Something that made Natsu want to fight harder…

Putting those thoughts out of his head, Natsu tried to focus on his food, but his mind instead wandered to Dragon's Eye. Never had he felt such incredible power. It was as if he had turned, body and soul, into a dragon. Natsu had heard about Dragon Force, and how it could supposedly give a person draconic features, but this felt more like just getting scales or whatever. When Natsu used Dragon's Eye, he truly felt like he had become a dragon. One thing was for sure, Natsu couldn't wait to use it again.

**(the next day)**

After sending off Erza's friends on their voyage, the group started heading back to the guild hall. Juvia wasn't among them. According to Gray she left overnight.

"Hopefully they've finished the repairs," Lucy said.

"They were almost done when we left," Erza said, "They should be done by now."

And Erza was right, when they arrived at the guild, the group was in for a surprise.

"Its huge!" was the first thing Lucy said, and she was right. The guild hall had practically doubled in size, with a great, almost castle like appearance. They went inside, and found even more surprises.

"We've even got a cafe now?" Gray said. Indeed they did. There were a series of tables connected to an outside bar, with people getting drinks and snacks.

Not far from the cafe, was a fully stocked gift shop, with Max behind the desk.

"You're working the gift shop?" Happy asked as he floated over.

"The Master made me take some business lessons just for this," Max said with a grin.

"What kind of stuff do you have here?" Happy asked.

"Pretty much everything," Max said, gesturing behind him. There were mugs, t-shirts, necklaces, jackets, and even action figures.

"Look at this, a Lucy doll!" Happy said, holding it up. Lucy let out a yelp.

"Didn't anyone think to ask me about that?" she cried.

"Its our most popular item," Max explained, "Its clothes even come off!" Lucy screamed loudly at that.

"I'm going to sue!" she cried.

They went into the guild, and noticed it had also grown significantly in size. There was even a massive stage at the end.

"Pretty!" Lucy and Happy said.

"I could certainly get used to this," Erza said with a smile. Natsu, however, didn't share their enthusiasm.

"What's with you?" Gray asked.

"I don't like change," Natsu said with a pout.

"Lu!" Levy said as she ran up to meet them.

"Levy!" Lucy responded.

"What do you think?" Levy asked, spreading her arms in presentation.

"Its amazing!" Lucy said.

"And this is just the inside!" Levy said, with a wink, "Out in the back we have a pool!" Sure enough, there was indeed a pool out in the back.

"Yo! Natsu!" Romeo said, waving.

"This is really nice!" Lucy said, smiling. She couldn't wait to relax in it, especially after their recent adventure.

They continued exploring the new guild hall, discovering a game room in the basement, and a renovated second floor, where anyone could take an S-Class quest, so long as they were accompanied by an S-Class level mage. All these details did not serve to make Natsu any happier. When Lucy vocalized her concerns about his expressions, Natsu just continued to pout.

"It took us all a long to build everything," Cana explained, "But it was all worth it the end."

"No kidding," Erza said, "This looks beyond amazing."

"I still don't like it," Natsu whined.

"We heard you the first time," Gray said.

"Good, you're back!" Makarov said. Everyone turned to see the small man standing before them, but there was someone next to him. Someone familiar…

"Everyone, this is Juvia Lockser!" Makarov announced. Sure enough, beside him was Juvia. But she had swapped out her large coat, for a short sleeved, but still fairly long blue dress, and she was wearing a smaller heart. The most notable change, however, was her hair, which was now cut short.

"Juvia!" Lucy said.

"So you did end up joining?" Gray asked, "That's good!"

"Yes it is, thank you for all your help by the way!" Erza said

"Juvia will do her best to help Fairy Tail!" Juvia said happily.

"That's good, I'm looking forward to working with you!" Lucy said.

"We will fight for Gray!" Juvia hissed. Lucy sweat dropped at that.

"Trust me, I'm not interested in Gray," she said. She then reflexively flashed her eyes to the left. Though she didn't know why she did.

Natsu, who was standing next to Lucy (on her left more specifically), had his attention in a different place though. He wasn't pouting, instead he was looking angry.

"There's another member as well!" Makarov said, gesturing. People turned, and saw what Natsu was glaring at.

"What?!" Lucy cried.

"You got to be kidding!" Gray said.

Standing before them, was Gajeel Redfox. The Iron Dragon Slayer glared right back at them.

"What's going on here, Master" Gray yelled.

"Wait!" Juvia said, "Juvia asked him to come!"

"Juvia is certainly one thing," Erza said, "But this guy attacked and destroyed our guild hall!"

"He was merely obeying orders," Makarov said, "You know the old saying: 'yesterday's enemies are tomorrow's friends'." Lucy noticed Levy, with Jet and Droy hiding behind a column.

"I… I'm okay with it!" she stuttered.

"Levy," Lucy said softly, worried about her. However, she couldn't help but notice Jet and Droy's death stares at Gajeel.

"I won't work with a guy like that!" Natsu roared. Lucy noticed his chest start to glow, as if there was lava beneath his skin.

"Look, Salamander!" Gajeel said, marching up to Natsu, "I don't want to be your buddy! What I need is work! That's it!" Natsu continued to fume, as a reptilian growl slipped out of his teeth. The glow began to spread to his neck…

"Natsu!" Makarov scolded, "It is the task of Fairy Tail to give those with nowhere to go a place to go! Now put away your fire!" Natsu scowled more, as the glow faded away, as a cloud of steam

"This new guild," he muttered, "It just doesn't feel right!"

"Doesn't matter!" Cana said, as she pushed Natsu to a table, and sat him down with the others. Natsu just slumped over the table. The lights dimmed.

"What's going on?" Lucy asked.

"Just watch," Cana answered. A spotlight then lit up over the stage, as the curtains parted. Sitting with a guitar was Mirajane. She then smiled, as began to sing.

The white-haired woman's singing voice floated over the entire guild hall. It made everyone smile happily at the sound of the beautiful sound spread. The only one who wasn't smiling was the still moping Natsu.

"Can't you smile for us?" Lucy said. Natsu remained still. Lucy then decided to use her "womanly skills".

"Can't you smile for me?" she said as she leaned over to Natsu, batting her eyelashes. Natsu looked up, and for a brief instance, the corners of his mouth turned up.

"Holy Mavis!" Happy cried, "Lucy made Natsu smile!" However, nobody was paying attention, they were all focused on Mirajane's singing. In that interval, Natsu's smile faded again, and he resumed his pouting, as he sipped his drink through a straw, too mopey to even pick it up.

Gajeel apparently decided to give a little payback to Natsu. He held up his foot under the table, and slammed it down right on Natsu's. The pink-haired guy spit out his drink as he whirled around to face Gajeel.

"The hell's wrong with you! You did that on purpose!" Natsu roared. The response was when somebody threw a mug at him.

"Stop interrupting Mira's song!" someone yelled.

"Who the hell threw that!" Natsu roared, his chest now glowing again, as he overturned the table, where Lucy, Juvia, and Cana were sitting. The girls, save for Juvia who was splashed away, were both sending flying with the table.

"Dammit it Natsu!" Gray said as he stood up, bumping Erza slightly, causing her cake to slip out of her hands, and fall to the floor.

"My… cake…," Erza muttered, before her face darkened, "This means war." She then leapt to her feet, and slammed into the nearest man, who just so happened to be Elfman.

Mirajane looked over the rising chaos, before grinning.

"Alright then," she said, before holding up her guitar as she strummed a tune, "Time to rock the house!"

Lucy dove to the ground in an attempt to avoid the brawl, as she let out a sigh.

"I guess somethings aren't meant to change," she said. Meanwhile Natsu knocked away a couple of other guild members, before smiling.

"Now this is Fairy Tail!" he said. He then jumped over to Lucy, as he picked her up, slinging her over the shoulder.

"Natsu! What are you doing?!" Lucy cried.

"We're going to watch this!" Natsu, as Happy picked Natsu up, and brought them up to the rafters, overlooking the guild hall. Lucy looked over the brawl.

"Why are we up here watching?" Lucy asked, "Don't you want to participate?"

"Nah," Natsu said, "At this point is funner to watch."

"Aye!" Happy said, "I'm too lazy to fight anyway!"

"Why do you say that?" Lucy inquired to Natsu. He just smiled down at their guild mates.

"After going through all that Tower of Heaven crap," he said, "Seeing Fairy Tail being itself is satisfying." Lucy looked at Natsu before grinning. She punched lightly in the arm.

"Don't you go getting soft on me," she said. Natsu grinned put her arm around Lucy's shoulder, as the blonde flushed the color of Natsu's fire.

"Only for you."

"What do you mean by that?" Lucy asked. But Natsu didn't pay attention, he was paying attention to the battle. Lucy just smiled, as she looked down as well.

"They like each other!" Happy said.

**Note: This chapter is filler, following the manga closely, only with an added on NaLu scene. They aren't a couple yet, but they're getting there. What that was more like a friendship hug.**

**Next chapter I'm not sure what will happen, it will be either Gajeel's singing, or the beginning of the Fighting Festival. What do you think? I'm inclined to go with the former, since I think it would be simpler, since the singing scene isn't TOO big, so it may be to short a chapter.**


	3. Best Friend

_**Best Friend**_

Natsu was snoring, as he slept in his hammock, while Happy slept in a hammock over him, sleeping by tying a pillow around his head. They had a rather active day, and were more than happy to finally go to sleep.

As Natsu continued to snore, his dreams began to take form.

_(in Natsu's dream)_

_Natsu was standing over the beaten Erza, Laxus, Gray, and Gajeel, laughing triumphantly. His Eye of the Fire Dragon was glowing bright._

"_I'm the strongest one there is!" he declared proudly._

"_**Indeed you are,"**__ a deep voice rumbled. Natsu turned, as he saw a massive darkness consuming him._

"_**Your power is great, but it can be greater!"**__ Natsu looked around for where the voice was coming. He turned, and saw two blazing eyes, the same as his Dragon's Eye staring down at him._

"_Who are you?" Natsu asked. The being didn't answer, as all Natsu suddenly saw was a blast of fire, and a tremendous roar._

_(end dream)_

Natsu let out a gasp, as he abruptly set up, breathing heavily. He looked up, and saw Happy still sleeping over him.

_What was that?_ he thought, as he looked at his hand.

**(the next day)**

As things turned out, Natsu didn't get that much sleep that night. Something about that dream seemed to deny him his ability to sleep, so Natsu spent the a good chunk of the rest of the night tossing and turning. He let out a massive yawn, exhaling a small cloud of fire as he did.

"Is it too much to ask that you maybe cover your mouth when you do that?" Lucy asked, "I'm not up to being singed."

"I can't help it when I yawn," Natsu answered, "If you don't like than just move."

"But I was here first," Lucy pointed out.

"So?" Lucy sighed, and shook her head, as she went back to her food.

"Aren't you going to take any jobs?" she asked.

"Not today," Natsu answered, as he lay his head on the table, "I'm too tired."

"Natsu had a bad dream and was too scared to sleep," Happy said, as he sat on Natsu's head.

"That's not what happened!" Natsu said as he abruptly leaned up.

"Todays probably not a good day to take jobs anyway," Erza said, as she checked her reflection in her sword. Lucy looked her over, and noticed she had re-quipped into a nice dress, with her hair tied back, and her make up done.

"What's today?" Lucy asked.

"Didn't you hear? Sorcerer's Weekly is coming today," Erza explained.

"What?!" Lucy cried, as she stood straight up, "Nobody told me!" She then ran out, going to her apartment.

"I've got to get ready!" she cried. Natsu watched her run out.

"You probably should get ready as well," Erza said to him.

"I don't care about some dumb magazine," Natsu muttered.

About half and hour later, Lucy returned, her lightly curled, and wearing a beautiful dress. She took a pose to her friends.

"How do I look?" she asked, "I got Cancer to do my hair, and then had Virgo get me a nice dress."

"You look great!" Mirajane said with a smile.

"I'm sure you'll attract the reporter's attention," Erza said. Lucy looked to Natsu, and caught him swinging his gaze away.

"What's with you?" Lucy asked.

"Nothing," Natsu answered, as he put his head back on the table. Unbeknownst to Lucy, he was blushing.

"I've been reading Sorcerer's Weekly since I first become a mage!" Lucy explained, "Its always been one of my dreams to get into it someday!"

"Well, today's your chance!" Happy said as he jumped up to sit on Lucy's hand, only the shoved away.

"Don't mess up my hair," Lucy said flatly, "Now where should I go to be seen?"

"Don't you think you're taking this to seriously?" Natsu asked, his eye shifting to Lucy. Lucy flicked him on the forehead.

"Of course not!" she said firmly, "Sorcerer's Weekly is on of the top magazines in the Kingdom! You get on it, you can get anywhere!" Natsu was silent, as he put his head back down.

Eventually, it was said that the reporter was about to arrive. Lucy quickly got into position, sitting on the table, as she took a pose.

"Can you move, I can't eat," Natsu said. Lucy ignored him, as she watched the door, as it opened.

"SO COOL!" A flash slid into the guild hall, revealing a man in a pink shirt with blonde hair, with a small spike at the top.

"Welcome Mr. Jason!" Mirajane said as she approached the reporter.

"Mirajane Strauss! Cool!" Jason roared as he immediately started snapping photos of her. Lucy frowned. She was sitting right next to him, and yet hadn't even been noticed. Jason looked her way, and Lucy smiled and waved, only for him to run right past her towards Natsu.

"Natsu Dragneel!" Jason said, "You're so cool! Tell me, why are you always destroying everything?"

"First you tell why you always write crap about me," Natsu answered, not picking his head up, "Piss off."

"Can I shake your hand?" Natsu responded by punching him away.

"So cool!" Jason roared. Lucy sighed with disappointment.

"Ignored again," she muttered. That caught the ears of Natsu, who looked up at her, noticing her disappointment. He looked in the direction of Jason.

"Oi!" he called, "Try interviewing the blonde!" However, Jason was too caught up in trying to interview Erza.

This continued for a time, as Jason interviewed almost everyone. Lucy watched as he talked with Cana, Shadow Gear, Elfman, Alzack, Bisca, Max, Macao, and essentially everyone_ but_ Lucy. So Lucy decided to take desperate measures. She ran behind the stage, and asked for a spotlight. When everyone turned, Lucy got ready to emerge wearing a bunny suit. If there was anything Erza taught her, skimpy outfits caught a man's eye.

She cracked her knuckles, and as the curtains opened, Lucy spread her arms to present herself. She was on the stage, in all her exposed glory. Everyone stared in surprise at Lucy's uncharacteristic immodesty. Natsu flushed brief red.

_If this doesn't attract his attention… _Lucy thought.

"I wrote a song," a familiar voice said, "Its called Best Friend!" Lucy whirled around, and saw Gajeel sitting in a white suit, with a guitar.

"Get off the stage!" Lucy, along with just about everyone else, yelled. Gajeel, naturally, ignored them.

"_Colorful, colorful, shooby do bop!"_ he sung_, "Tremble with love, gray steel, and metallic, shooby do bop!"_

"Gajeel!" Jason, as he ran up to the stage, "SO COOL!"

"We said get off the stage!" Macao yelled.

"He's actually not half bad!" Elfman said.

"Go for it Gajeel!" Juvia said.

Shadow Gear watched as well. Levy caught herself smiling softly. Something about his passion was admirable to her. Jet and Droy, however were staring more than daggers at Gajeel. If looks could kill, Gajeel would be incinerated several times over.

After Gajeel played a brief solo with his harmonica, that made a sound similar to a screaming goblin, he turned towards where Lucy was.

"Bunny girl, dance…" However Lucy was gone.

"Where'd Lucy go?" Happy asked. Natsu was silent, as he stood up, and left.

**(in Lucy's apartment)**

Lucy was sitting at the edge of her bed, her legs tucked in. She had of coursed changed out of the bunny costume, and was wearing her usual outfit. She could have lived with not being interviewed, but being completely ignored by that…

The blonde tightened her grip on her legs, as she hid her face. She heard the window open. It was Natsu, same as always, with Happy following behind him.

"What are you doing here?" she asked. Lucy didn't have the energy to start yelling at him this time around.

"Nothing," Natsu answered. He looked over Lucy. When he heard how excited Lucy was for the reporter, he didn't think anything of it, but seeing her like this…

"Who even cares about that stupid magazine?" Natsu said, trying to make her feel better.

"I do," Lucy said, burying her face back in her knees. Natsu sighed, as he put a hand on her shoulder.

"For what its worth, I think you're pretty cool," he said.

"Aye! You're really cool!" Happy said, pumping his paw. Lucy looked up, tears lining her eyes. Natsu grinned at her. Lucy smiled back, wiping her tears.

"Thanks."

**(out in the park, later in the day)**

Gajeel was heading back to his residence, as he let out a loud yawn, spitting out a few iron files. As he crossed through the park, he heard someone calling him.

"What the hell?" he muttered. He turned, and saw Shadow Gear standing at the tree. Jet and Droy were staring down him, while Levy was staring at the ground, her hands clasped together.

"The hell do you want?" Gajeel asked.

"Come over here," Jet said.

"Why?"

"What are you scared?" Droy said. That was just what Gajeel needed to come over.

"What's the problem?" he sneered.

"Its time we discussed what you did to us," Droy said. He then threw his seeds into the ground, as several massive vines erupted out of the ground, and smacked Gajeel clean in the face. Jet followed up by shooting over to Gajeel, and punching him the stomach, knocking him to the ground. During this, Levy didn't look up, as she clenched her teeth.

"This is for all the pain you brought us!" Jet said, as he kicked Gajeel in the face.

"And this is for you what you did to Levy!" Droy answered, as another vine socked Gajeel in the stomach.

During all this, Gajeel didn't do anything, he just took it all. That didn't go unnoticed by Levy, as she looked up while Gajeel was still being beat up. She clenched her fists, as she shook her head.

"Alright, that's enough!" she said, "He got the message!" Jet and Droy looked up at Levy. They wanted to keep on going, but if Levy told them to stop, they'd stop.

"I'd beg to differ." They all looked over, and saw Laxus approaching.

"Laxus?" Levy asked, "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to deliver some payback," Laxus said, as he held up his hand. A bolt of lightning then struck down at Gajeel, who let out a roar of pain, which was odd. Levy let out a gasp, as she covered her mouth. Even Jet and Droy were surprised.

"Its your fault that Fairy Tail has the reputation it does now!" Laxus yelled over Gajeel's burned body. Another bolt of lightning struck down, hitting Gajeel again.

"Laxus!" Levy said, as she jumped forward.

"Levy!" Jet and Droy cried.

"That's enough!" Levy said, "He got the message! You don't have to hurt him anymore!"

"That's where your wrong," Laxus said, "I've got to hurt him until he, and everyone else gets the message. Now get out of my way."

Levy stood her ground. She wasn't going to let Laxus brutalize anyone.

"Fine then, I'll just remove you," Laxus said, as he cracked his neck, and pointed a finger at Levy. He then let out a bolt of lightning. Jet and Droy cried, as they jumped forward.

When the dust faded, it showed Gajeel, defending Levy, his arm made of iron.

"The reason I was defending myself from you was because I wanted to show you I was your comrade," Gajeel explained to Levy, "But when when you start shooting at each other, instead of me, then that's uncalled for." He then turned, and left.

"Just leave me alone," he said. Levy and Shadow Gear just stared after him. Levy couldn't help but smile at him. Laxus growled, as he turned and walked away.

"This is how Fairy Tail is supposed to be."

**Note: Thanks to Johnny Specter for helping to put this idea for Gajeel in my head. I'm going to state a few pairing facts here. The following will be present: NaLu, GaLe, and Gruvia.**

**I figured Lucy would feel much more hurt about being completely ignored during Jason's visit. I used this as a means to insert another NaLu scene.**

**And really people, only two reviews last chapter? Come now, reviewing doesn't take too long.**

**Next will be the start of the Fighting Festival. I may take a brief break from "Eye of the Black Dragon" to work on this.**


	4. The Thunder Legion

_**Thunder Legion**_

Looking back, Lucy figured another reason she may have wanted to get into Sorcerer Weekly, was it may have been able to help her money situation.

"I'll tell you Plue!" Lucy lamented, as she goose stepped along the edge of the canal, "No matter what I do, I'm always in the red."

"Pun." Lucy took a breath, as she opened the door of her apartment.

"Well, I guess I'll figure something out."

"Hi Lucy!" Happy said, waving.

"Eh!?" Lucy squawked. Sitting on her table, eating a fish, was Happy. Lying on her bed was Natsu.

"Are your brains black holes or something?!" Lucy demanded, before noticing Natsu groaning, "What's wrong with him?" Happy looked to Natsu, frowning.

"He's been like that for a while now," he said, "It probably the side effect of eating the Etherion."

"How do you that?"

"Because it happened when he tried to eat Laxus' lightning," Happy answered. There was a brief pause.

"Say what?" Lucy said.

"When Natsu was younger, he tried to eat Laxus' lightning," Happy repeated, "It didn't work."

"I thought as much," Lucy said with a sigh, as she looked down at the clearly uncomfortable Natsu. _Damn my natural sweetness_ Lucy thought.

"You can stay here for a little while, at least until Natsu is feeling better," Lucy said.

"Really?" Happy asked, "So we can sleep in your bed?"

"Guess," Lucy answered.

"We can!" Happy said excitedly.

"You can sleep on the floor!" Lucy said.

The remainder of the night was spent with Natsu still groaning in bed, and Lucy doing a little writing. She was glad Cana wasn't there, seeing as the drunk would not doubt be all over this gossip.

"Hey Lucy!" Happy said, floating up, holding something.

"Yeah?" Lucy answered, turning.

"What going to do for the festival?" Happy asked.

"Festival?" Lucy paused as she thought, before remembering and saying, "Oh yeah, its the Harvest Festival! That means the Fantasia parade!"

"Aye!" Happy answered.

"Oh I don't know," Lucy said with a shrug, "I'll probably just watch, or maybe play a couple games."

"Really?" Happy asked, cocking his head, "You aren't going to be in the contest?"

"What contest?"

Happy held up a flier. The flier read: "Ms. Fairy Tail Contest". Apparently it was some sort of beauty pageant where the girls of Fairy Tail would use this opportunity to show off their stuff to the guild. But what really caught Lucy's attention was the prime.

"500,000 jewels!" she said excitedly, "With that I'll be able to pay my rent money!"

"Aye!" Happy said, "But you shouldn't get your hopes up." Lucy glared at him.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked.

"Well, Mira and Erza are going to be in it too," Happy answered, "And one of them always wins!" Lucy fell to her knees in despair.

"What chance do I have?" she muttered.

"Aye, that's a good question," Happy said. Ironically, that actually served to make Lucy more intent. She quickly rose to her feet, and pumped her fists.

"I don't care if my odds are 10-1 or 100-1!" she declared, "I'm going to win that thing!"

**(in the town Shirotsume)**

There was a dark guild known as Ghoul Spirit. Not necessarily a dark guild with that great of substance, but a dark guild nonetheless, which meant it had to be removed. And Fairy Tail was in the process of doing that.

The last dark mage fell to the ground, defeated. Standing over him was a man with long green hair, carrying a rapier.

"These people weren't even strong enough to be considered a guild," he said. On his hand was a green Fairy Tail mark.

"Screw them being a guild!" a tall guy wearing a hood and a visor, "They aren't good enough to even be considered mages!" He stuck his tongue out, showing a Fairy Tail mark.

"Screw them! Screw them!" a group of dolls hovered around him echoing his words.

"They are beneath even our attention!" a woman with glasses said, as she fanned herself. On her breast was a Fairy Tail symbol.

One of the dark mages managed to climb to his feet, and began to limp away.

"Oh look, one of the rats is trying to escape," the woman said, as she collapsed her fan, and adjusted her glasses.

"He won't get far," the man with the vizor responded.

"Won't get far! Won't get far!"

And as it turns out, he was right. At that moment, a bolt of lightning struck down, blasting the would be escapee. The lightning then reformed, as it revealed Laxus. He smiled darkly, standing on the charred body of his enemy.

"The time has come," he said, "Let's set Fairy tail straight!"

**(in Magnolia)**

"I think everything's ready, Master!" Mirajane said. They were walking down the street, checking everything over again for the festival.

"That's good," Makarov said with a nod, "Let's make sure tomorrow goes off without a hitch!" Mirajane nodded with a smile, before pausing, her smile fading slightly, as something came to her mind.

"What about Laxus?" she asked. Makarov stopped abruptly. He took a breath.

"What of him?" he asked.

"I hear he's in town," Mirajane said, "I thought you knew."

"I do," Makarov answered with a nod.

**(the next day)**

As Lucy walked down the street, she noticed vendors lining the road selling Fairy Tail merchandise. She was a tad disquieted noticing a few of those Lucy dolls. The girl just hoped that no little kids picked those out. Natsu, who ended up spending the night with her, not something Lucy was entirely happy about (but not entirely unhappy either, which she found strange), was trailing behind her, still apparently slightly ill. When they got to the guild, they were met by Gray and Juvia.

"Must… eat…," Natsu stuttered as he headed to the food stands.

"Aye! Chow time!" Happy said excitedly.

"He's still feeling bad," Lucy said, sympathetic.

"From what I hear, that's too be expected," Juvia answered, "He did put a lot of strain on his body."

"Just let him eat," Gray said, "He'll be back to his old self in no time."

"I guess somethings never change." Everyone turned, and saw a man of average height, with big lips, tan skin, and black hair approaching them.

"Warren!" Gray said, "Its been a while since we've seen you!"

"You're Warren Rocko!" Lucy said, "I've heard about you!"

"Glad to know it," Warren said, smiling, "Sorry I couldn't have met you earlier. I take a lot of jobs."

"I'm one of the newest members! I'm Lucy!" Lucy said.

"I'm Juvia!" Juvia said, "And I'm with Gray!"

"That's not true!" Warren chuckled at that.

"I'll keep that in mind," he said, "Well I'e got to get in. Almost time for the contest."

"IT IS?!" Lucy cried, "I'm going to be late!" She then ran into the guild hall, pushing past Natsu, and too the stage. Natsu, who was snacking on a meet sandwich, looked up. He hadn't been really paying attention when Lucy said she was going to be the contest, but now…

"A contest?" Juvia asked.

"Yeah, its some kind of beauty pageant," Gray explained.

"Beauty pageant?" Juvia echoed, as her eyebrow arched.

"Yeah, not really something I…," Gray didn't get to finish as Juvia started to steam.

"I will not let that alone win," she hissed, as she ran after Lucy, "I'm participating as well!"

"Let's go watch!" Natsu said firmly.

"Since when were you into that?" Gray asked.

"None of your business Frosty!" Natsu said quickly, as he headed down to the guild hall.

"He's not pursuing a fight?" Warren said, "That's bizarre."

"Eh, who cares?" Gray said.

**(in the guild hall)**

Lucy peaked behind the curtain, seeing all the people, mostly guys, assembled before the stage. It suddenly seemed very daunting, something that strangely flared up when she saw Natsu sitting in the audience.

"You don't have to worry," Erza said, coming up behind her, "Just show your stuff."

"That's not what I'm worried about," Lucy said. Erza looked over the stage, noticing Natsu.

"Are you worried about Natsu seeing you?" she asked, a certain twinkle in her eye. Lucy jumped slightly, her face turning the same color of Erza's hair.

"No! No!" she said quickly, "Why would I be?"

"Of course," Erza said, with a grin and a shrug.

"Hello, Magnolia!" Max said as he came onto the stage, "Welcome to the Ms. Fairy Tail Contest! I'm Max Alors, the Master of Ceremonies in this battle of the beauties!"

In the audience, Natsu was sitting with Gray and Elfman, chewing on a piece of bread.

"Elfman I can understand," Gray said, "But why are you here?"

"Its because he's a man!" Elfman said.

"None of your beeswax," Natsu answered. Gray noticed he was blushing slightly. So he decided to get some mileage with that.

"You like one of the girls up there don't you?" he said with a smirk.

"He's in loooove," Happy said.

"What was that Ice Ass?" Natsu said, as he stood up to face his rival, ignoring what Happy said.

"You heard me Flame Brain!" Gray answered.

"Why don't you stop a little closer and say that again!"

"With pleasure!"

"Real men settle arguments like this!" Elfman said.

Their fight went unnoticed by the others, as the pageant proceeded.

"First in line is the woman who could either knock you out with booze or with her looks, its Cana Alberona!" The card mage took the stage, scantily dressed enough that Lucy wondered what she would even do at this point.

"Hate to start this contest with such a high note, but its survival of the fittest here!" Cana said, as she pulled out her cards. The cards then glowed, as they encircled her body. When they dissipated, it revealed Cana in a swimsuit, which earned her massive cheers.

"Amazing!" Max roared.

"Oh no," Lucy bemoaned.

"That's clever," Erza said, "Maybe I should do it too."

"Number two is the sun signing through the rain, Juvia Lockser!"

Juvia took a breath, as she held her arms in. _Let this reach you my beloved Prince!_ she thought, before she turned her body into a torrent of water. When she emerged, she was wearing a swimsuit.

"Another swim suit? Damn her!" Lucy whined.

"Mhm!" Erza said with a nod.

"Can you see me, Gray?" Juvia called. Gray caught himself looking up briefly.

"Hey!" Natsu said, "Are we fighting are not?!" Gray just glared at Natsu, before pushing him off.

"I'm done wasting my time with you," he said, as he sat back down. Natsu just glared at him, before turning back to his food.

"Why can't I eat any fire?" he muttered.

"A real man knows when to stop!" Elfman said.

"Coming in number three is our own bar maiden, and the multiple time cover girl of Sorcerer Weekly, its the one and only… Mirajane Strauss!"

Mirajane came out to address the audience, still in her hair maid outfit.

"Even Mira's competing?" Lucy cried, "I'm so doomed!"

"This may be harder than I thought," Erza mused.

"Thank you all for coming," Mirajane said, "Let me show my transformation magic!" She then held up her hands over her face. Almost every male in the audience got ready to witness what Fairy Tail's famous hottie would do. She took her hands away…

"This is my Happy face!" Mirajane said, her head now Happy's, "Aye!"

"EH!" everyone in the guild lambasted.

"And if that's not enough…," Mirajane said, swiping her hand over her face again, revealing Gajeel's face, "Try Gajeel!" Said Dragon Slayer spat out his drink.

"Mira!" Elfman cried.

"That's the best ever!" Happy said jumping up.

"I had a feeling you'd say that," Gray said.

"Well that's a relief," Lucy said with a sigh.

"Now's not the time to laugh," Erza said as she jumped into the stage.

"Erza!" Lucy cried out, "Have mercy!"

"Number four, we have the re-quip wizard extraordinaire, the beauty whose name matches her name, its our own Fairy Queen, Erza Scarlet!" Erza cracked her knuckles, as she suddenly started glowing. When the glow faded, it showed her dressed in a gothic lolita outfit.

"Gothic lolita!" Lucy exclaimed, as she jumped a whole two feet into the air, "Why did I have to be the one going last?"

"Fantastic!" Max said, "Now let's go on to number five! She may be a bookworm, but she's more like a book butterfly, its Levy McGarden!"

"I may not be as sexy as the others," Levy said, as she took the stage, and pulled out her pens, "but I've got this…" She then used her Solid Script magic, and created a massive series of letters from different substances, spelling out "Fairy Tail".

"I don't even care anymore," Lucy said, as she lay onto the floor.

"In number six, its our slinger from the South, our very own cowgirl, Bisca Mulan!"

"Go for it, Bisca!" Alzack called out.

"Why are you two not together yet?" Macao asked. Alzack then immediately sat back down, his face even redder than Natsu's was.

Bisca appeared on stage, wearing a bikini, much to Lucy's chagrin.

"And this isn't even the show!" Bisca said as she pulled out her gun, along with three coins. She then tossed them into the air, and shot once. The gun mage then held out her hand, and caught the three coins. Bisca then held up the coins, each one a hole through the center.

"Try this on for size?" she said with a smirk.

Lucy stood up straight. It was her turn now. _I can do this!_ Lucy said, pumping her fist.

"In number seven, the last, but definitely not least, its our Celestial Maiden, the Key to much of the guild's happiness, the legendary Lucy Hea…"

"Don't say my name!" Lucy said as she jumped onto the stage, in front of everyone. Natsu suddenly looked at the stage, strangely interested in what was going on.

"Why did you suddenly start paying attention?" Gray asked.

"Because he's a man!"

"I told you, he's in loooove," Happy chimed in.

Lucy took a deep breath, as she pulled out her keys, along with a couple pompons.

"We're going to perform a little cheer for you all!" she said, holding up a key to begin. Natsu suddenly was watching with great intent.

"Entry number eight!" a new female voice interrupted. Everyone turned, as a tall woman in a bright green dress, with dark blonde hair emerged.

"Hey, I haven't even started! Get in line!" Lucy demanded.

"No need, I am a true fairy!" the woman said, as she stepped forward, "And as such, I, the lovely Evergreen is the winner!"

"When did she get back?" Gray asked.

"Will you give me a freaking break!" Lucy demanded, "I need this money!"

"Lucy!" Natsu cried, as he jumped up, and started running towards the stage, "Don't look into her eyes!"

"I'm sorry, what was that?" Evergreen said as she looked at Lucy, and pulled up her glasses.

"LUCY!" Natsu cried. But it was too late. In a flash, Lucy had turned into a statue. The shock caused Natsu to lose his footing as he fell to the ground. He then looked up at Lucy. Natsu then let out an animalistic growl. His chest began to glow ever so slightly, as steam leaked from his lips.

"Everyone get out of here!" Max ordered to the crowd.

"What is the meaning of this, Evergreen?!" Makarov demanded, jumping onto the stage, "Are you trying to ruin everything?" Evergreen just snickered.

"Actually, I think things will be getting interesting here," she sneered. The curtain was then raised, revealing all the other contestants, also statues.

"Mira!" Elfman cried.

"Juvia!" said Gray.

"Even Erza!" Happy exclaimed.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Makarov roared, "Return them to normal now!" There was then a glow over the ceiling, and when people looked up, a bolt of lighting crashed down the stage.

"Well ain't this a shame? All the fanboys turned tail and ran." Standing on the stage was Laxus, grinning maniacally.

"A serious shame, since things were just getting interesting!"

That was when Gray noticed two other things.

"Freed! Bixlow!" Sure enough, both members were standing on the sidelines.

"When did the Thunder Legion get back?" Macao asked.

"I've had just about enough of this!" Makarov said, "Now turn them back!"

"I'd play nice if I were you," Laxus said, as he snapped his fingers. A bolt of lightning then struck down right next to Lucy.

"Now I think my message is clear," Laxus said, "I'm taking these lovely ladies hostage. And if you want them to be in the parade, I'd play along."

"I've always wondered who was strongest," Freed said as he jumped up next to Laxus.

"Let's fight and find out!" Bixlow said, as he landed next to him.

"Fight! Fight!" his dolls echoed.

"The rules are simple," Laxus said, "The last one standing wins! Its a Fairy Tail battle royale!"

"LAXUS!" Natsu roared as he jumped up, his chest now glowing bright. He inhaled, and got ready to breath fire, but Laxus blasted him with lightning, and he fell to the ground.

"Poor guy, just when he was feeling better," Happy said with a sigh.

"If you want to turn the girls turned back, you've got to beat us," Evergreen said, "You've got three hours, and if you fail, these girls are turned to rubble!"

"LAXUS!" Makarov bellowed as he grew to his giant size, "I WILL NOT STAND FOR THIS!"

"Now that's the spirit!" Laxus said, as he suddenly flashed bright, "Let the battle begin!" When the light faded, he and the Thunder Legion were gone.

"Let's go!" Elfman roared, "Let's be men, and save our girls!" Everyone in Fairy Tail let out cries of agreement, and ran out to fight.

Alzack looked up at the statue of Bisca, and clenched his fist. _Don't worry, I'll save you!_ he thought, and with that, he ran out as well.

"That insolent snot!" Makarov roared as he tried to run out as well, "I'm going to kick…" He was abruptly silenced as he ran into thin air.

"What's wrong?" Gray asked, turning.

"I'm trapped in one of Freed's enchantments," Makarov answered, pointing up at some letters, "It is says that stone statues and those over the age of 80 can't leave! The rules are absolute, and I can't leave!"

"Well then," Gray said, "It looks like you'll have to sit this one out." He then ran out.

Makarov took a breath, as he thought about what was going on. _I'm not sure anyone can beat him at the time_, he thought, Maybe_ Erza, but not in her present condition. And nobody else is in town._ He then turned, and saw Reedus.

"Reedus?" he asked. The round man let out a yelp.

"O-oui?" he asked.

"You need to…," Makarov began, before being interrupted by Natsu's cry as he got up.

"Laxus!" he said, before looking around.

"You're awake!"

"Where'd everyone go?" the Dragon Slayer asked, before pausing, and looking towards the stage. He then saw Lucy as a statue.

"Lucy!" he cried. He then ran up to check that she wasn't damaged. As he did, Makarov combed his thoughts again. _Maybe at his absolute best, he may be able to do it. After all, Erza said he managed to beat Jellal._

"Natsu!" Makarov called. Said pink-haired man turned.

"Laxus and the others are hiding somewhere in Magnolia!" Makarov said, "Now go out there, find them, and kick their asses!" Natsu looked again briefly at Lucy.

"I'll save you!" he muttered, before turning and roaring, "Alright! I'm all fired up!" He then ran towards the entrance.

"Here I come Lax…," he didn't get to finish, as he crashed into the the same barrier, much to everyone's surprise.

**(in Magnolia)**

"Find anything?" Droy called as he and Jet ran up to Alzack.

"No, I was hoping you did!" Alzack answered.

"Damn them!" Jet said, "Taking the girls hostage like that! I can't wait to find them, and beat them in!"

"First we have to find them," Alzack said, "Now, we've checked…" He was silenced when suddenly a massive wall of purple runes rose in front of him.

"What the hell?" he said.

"Isn't this one of Freed's enchantments?" Droy asked.

"I think so, what does it say?" Jet inquired.

"If two are more people enter this, only the strongest may leave," Alzack read.

"Strongest, does that mean…" A silent dread fell over them.

"Don't tell me we have to fight?" Jet said.

"I can't fight these guys!" Droy said to the runes, "What do we do now?" The duo looked towards Alzack, figuring he would have an answer. Instead he was silent, as he slowly looked up.

"I have to save her."

**(at Fairy Tail)**

"What the hell's going on?!" Makarov said, "You're clearly not a stone statue, and don't tell me you're over 80!"

"Are you?" Happy asked.

"I don't think so," Natsu said, as he pushed himself against it, before letting out an angry roar, as he started punching the barrier.

"Damn it! Let me out!" he roared, "I've got to save Lucy!" He didn't know why, but Natsu could only think of Lucy at this current moment.

Makarov pinched himself between his eyes, before he and the others noticed something. _Alzack vs. Jet vs. Droy_.

"Ce qui?" Reedus asked, "Why are they fighting?"

"They'd never," Makarov said, narrowing his eyes. It then changed to _Victor: Alzack_. The implications of that suddenly set in.

"Don't tell me," Makarov muttered.

**(at the cathedral)**

Laxus smirked, as he cracked his neck.

"Tell me old man," he said, "How long will you let your precious children eat each other alive?"

**Note: So, let the battle begin. This was really long, as many of these will probably end up being. This arc may not be up to par, since I'm still not sure how to differentiate individual arcs. The same can be said for the other arcs.**

**Something about this, Natsu's growl is, again, similar to that of Smaug, which for the record, was based on the growl of an alligator.**

**I need to tell everybody something I'm going to do. I've decided to carry a few things from EOTBD into EOTFD. As to what said things will be, well, you're going to have to be patient I'm afraid.**

**Another thing I need to explain, is that it is highly recommended, that you be up to date with the manga. That said, there's a point deep into the story, where something will happen, and if you've read the manga, you know what I'm talking about. While its far off, I have two potential ways to take this concept. I could use another person's input on that, but **_**ONLY**_** (and I can't stress that enough) if you don't have a problem with a spoiler as to what could happen, you can PM me.**


	5. Doing Bad to Do Good

_**Doing Bad to Do Good**_

There was an explosion off in the distance.

"What's going on?" a townsman asked.

"Fairy Tail's brawling again," another guy said.

"They are? I've never seen them fighting like that before," a third guy said, "Its almost like…" They were suddenly silenced, when the wall next to them exploded.

Vijeeter skidded to a halt, as Nab emerged from the dust, charging him.

"Just give up so I can go look for Laxus!" Nab yelled.

"This is a battle, I can't do that," Vijeeter answered, as he got ready o fight back.

**(somewhere else in Magnolia)**

"Purple Storm!" Macao said, as a flash of purple flames swarmed towards Wakaba, who breathed out a cloud of smoke in defense.

**(somewhere else in Magnolia)**

Warren ducked out of the way, avoiding Max's sand. He put his fingers on the side of his head to send his telepathic attacks.

**(at the guild hall)**

"Let me out of this place!" Natsu roared as he slammed into the barrier again. He backed up, before running head first into the barrier. He fell to the ground, spirals for eyes.

"I still doubt you'll be able to get through," Happy said, as he floated beside Natsu. Natsu got back to his feet, as his chest lit up, and fire blasted from his mouth, and against the barrier. It didn't do anything against the barrier.

"Stop wasting your power," Makarov said solemnly, but his attention wasn't there. All his attention was up at the barrier, as a series of names flashed across the screen.

_Warren vs Max; Victor: Warren_

_Alzack vs Laki; Victor: Alzack_

Those, and many other names appeared all over, as Makarov tightened his fists.

"Is this what Laxus meant when he said 'Battle of Fairy Tail'?" Happy asked. Natsu roared, as he butted his head against the barrier.

"Damn it!" he bellowed, "I've got to join the fight!" He was slapped upside the head by Makarov in response.

"What good would you joining do?" he scolded.

"I've got to go find Laxus, and save Lucy!" Natsu said, as he pushed up against the barrier again, "After I beat him, and prove I'm stronger, I'll make him turn Lucy and the others back to normal!"

"Prove your stronger?" Makarov asked, "You think this is what this is about?"

"What are you talking about?" Natsu asked, "We always fight!"

"Not like this," Makarov said, staring at the floor, "Our comrades lives are on the line! Laxus is using them to force us to hurt each other! We're losing ourselves in this!" Natsu was silent, as he looked at Makarov, and then at the girls.

"Laxus wouldn't do that," he said, with a smile. Makarov looked up at Natsu, in shock.

"No matter what, he's still one of us," Natsu said, "He talks a big game about hurting the girls, but he wouldn't do that." His eyes briefly looked to Lucy, and his smile wavered for a brief time. He remembered Laxus tried to blast her, but he intentionally missed.

"This is just a tournament to show whose the strongest!" Natsu said as he pressed against the barrier again, "Now if I could just get out!"

"I can get through just fine," Happy piped up as he flew in and out in demonstration. Makarov looked at Natsu struggling against the enchantment. _Even after all this, he still considers Laxus a comrade_ he thought. However, Makarov could hear the doubt behind his words. He remembered seeing Natsu's reaction when Laxus' lightning struck the stage next to Lucy, and how he was screaming that he had to save Lucy.

**(on the outskirts of Magnolia)**

Reedus ran down the streets, taking the unused routes in hopes that it would help him avoid any of his guild mates. Makarov had sent him to go find Porlyusica, in hopes that maybe the apothecary may have something up her sleeve to solve the issue. The chances weren't that great, but it was all they had.

"Got to get to the house!" Reedus said, "Got to get to…" It was then that he slammed into thin air, and stumbled back.

"What?" he said, rubbing his nose. He looked up, and noticed a series of runes hovering in front of him.

"Don't tell me there's a barrier all around the town!" he said. As he was saying that, several runes began to hover through the air, heading towards the ground. They began to form into a person.

"I can't allow anyone to violate my rules," a familiar voice said, "Laxus decreed that the battleground is Magnolia, and as such, no one shall be allowed to leave."

"Freed!" Reedus growled angrily, as he picked up his paintbrush and palette. Freed picked up his sword, and pointed it at Reedus.

"You're a mage, and you carry the symbol of Fairy Tail, yes?" he asked, "Now its time to prove your strength."

**(in town)**

Gray ducked into a clothing story, as he scanned the area, looking for Laxus, or at least Evergreen. If Evergreen was beaten, than the girls would be set free, and Laxus would lose his leverage over everyone else.

"Damn it!" he said, not finding anyone, as he turned to continue looking.

"Yo!"

"Yo! Yo!"

Gray whirled around, and saw Bixlow standing before him, his hands in his pockets, and his dolls floating about him. His tongue waved around, showing off that Fairy Tail mark. Seeing that made Gray fume.

"Bixlow," Gray hissed.

**(somewhere else)**

Elfman was charging through the streets, as he scoured for his foes. He had managed to avoid fighting with any of his friends, but he knew that he could only do that for so long.

As he was running, he sensed something, and he looked to the left. Standing there, was Evergreen.

"EVERGREEN!" Elfman roared, as he shot straight at her. The green-clad woman sneered.

"Ever the brute," she said, as her hands rose to her glasses. Knowing what was coming, Elfman snapped his eyes shut, and looked down.

"Fighting with your eyes closed?" Evergreen said, "I fail to see how that is going to do any good." She then leapt into the air, and a pair of Fairy-esque wings appeared on her back, which started buzzing, as she rose into the air. Elfman then went right under her, and as he did, Evergreen held up her hands.

"Fairy Ray!" she said. A blast of light erupted from her hands, and hit Elfman in the back. It sent the Take-Over mage shooting through the air and a banner. Evergreen floated in the air, looking in Elfman's direction, grinning cruelly.

There was a growl, as Elfman emerged in Beast Soul, wearing a blindfold, as he attempted to attack Evergreen again.

"Not going to work," she said casually, as her hands started to glow.

**(at Fairy Tail)**

_Elfman vs Evergreen; Victor: Evergreen_

_Freed vs Reedus: Victor: Freed_

"Damn!" Natsu said, as he butted his head against the barrier again.

Makarov was silent, as his fists clenched so tightly, his nails were close to drain blood. With Reedus gone, he was officially out of options. There was nothing left for him to do at this point.

"Reedus was supposed to get a way to cure the stone spell!" Happy cried, "What are you going to do now?"

"It doesn't matter!" Natsu said, "Laxus is bluffing!" However, even Happy now could hear the traces of doubt in his voice.

"_Oh I'm bluffing, are I?"_ Laxus' voice said. Everyone turned, and saw an image of Laxus standing there.

"A psychic projection?" Happy asked. Laxus glanced at Natsu.

"_What are you scared to leave?"_ he asked with a smirk.

"No way!" Natsu answered angrily, "I can't get out!"

"_I guess it doesn't matter,"_ Laxus said, before looking to Makarov_, "Tell me old timer, how does it feel seeing your wretches ripping each other apart like dogs? Considering that Erza's out of commission, and Natsu's trapped, nobody can take my Legion on."_ His face then twisted into an evil grin.

"_Tell me,"_ he said, _"Do you surrender?"_ Makarov's remained silent, as he stared at Laxus.

"Gray's still fighting!" Happy piped up, as he floated up to Laxus, "Gray's as strong as Natsu! He can beat the Thunder Legion any day!"

"Whaddya you mean he's as strong as me?" Natsu hissed.

"He is!" Happy answered.

"_Gray?"_ Laxus said_, "Don't tell tell you have such expectation for that write off?"_ Makarov thought that over. Gray was powerful, and he could potentially defeat the Thunder Legion in a fight. Of course, the Legion wasn't known for fighting fair. But for now, Gray was their only hope.

"Don't underestimate Gray," Makarov said, "If you do, it may just help to be your downfall."

**(somewhere else in Magnolia)**

Gray skidded to a halt.

"Blast him!" Bixlow ordered.

"Blast him! Blast him!" The dolls of Bixlow shot at Gray.

"Ice Make Arrow!" Gray said, as a multitude of ice arrows shot at Bixlow. The dolls fired beams of magic energy from their eyes, destroying all the arrows.

Not missing a beat, Gray created a pole out of ice, which he then pole-vaulted towards Bixlow.

"Ice Make Rain!" A multitude of large piece of ice rained down at Bixlow, who managed to twist out of the way. Gray landed on the ground, as he turned to face his opponent. Said opponent just grinned maliciously.

"That's all?" he asked, "I'm disappointed. Now let's go babies!" However, his dolls didn't respond.

"Babies?" Bixlow looked over his shoulder, and noticed the dolls are frozen solid, "The hell?" Gray smirked.

"You always were easy to distract," he said. He then held up his hands.

"Ice Make: Harpoon!" A long, thin harpoon of ice then launched at Bixlow. Gray was smiling, thinking he had won. There was a burst of dust, and as the dust faded, Gray was shocked to see that in front of Bixlow, were mannequins.

"What the…"

"You don't understand my magic do you?" Bixlow said, "My Human Possession magic isn't limited to just my dolls. The souls that I've got, I can transfer to anywhere!"

"Then how about I put **you** on ice instead!" Gray said as he launched a blast of ice at Bixlow. However, the mannequins blocked the attack, as Bixlow turned and bolted.

"You're welcome to try!" he said.

"Get back here you asshole!" Gray yelled, as he ran after Bixlow.

The two ran down the street, Gray managing to keep pace with Bixlow if only barely.

"Ice Make Floor!" Gray said, as he slammed his hand onto the ground, as the ground was coated with ice, in hopes that it would cause Bixlow to lose his footing. Not only did it fail, but Bixlow managed to use it to his advantage. He slid down the street, with a sudden boost of speed.

"Thanks for that!" Bixlow sneered, looking over his shoulder.

"Ice Make Skates!" Gray said, creating a pair of skates, as he started to skate after Bixlow.

"Do your thing babies! X-Formation" Bixlow said. The mannequins floated over, and formed an "X", as they blasted their magic at Gray. Gray slid out the way, as he created a bow made out of ice, and shot more arrows at Bixlow, whose mannequins blocked it.

The mannequins then shot at Gray, intent on ramming him.

"Ice Make: Shield!" Gray said, as he created a wall of ice to block the attack. It succeeded, causing the mannequins to get stuck in the ice, and Gray quickly followed up, but getting together all the ice, and launching it in Bixlow's direction. There was another cloud of dust, but when it faded, Bixlow was nowhere to be scene.

"Over here!" Gray turned, and saw Bixlow in an alley, his legs propped up between the walls, as he stood over the ground.

"You bastard!" Gray yelled, as he charged at him.

"Bad idea," Bixlow sneered. And as it turned out, he was right. The moment Gray entered the alley, one of Freed's enchantments lit up. The mannequins then hovered in front of Gray.

"Its a shame," Bixlow said, "I had such high hopes for you…"

**(at Fairy Tail)**

_Bixlow vs Gray; Victory: Bixlow_

"_What was that you were saying about Gray?"_ Laxus cackled.

"You mean to tell me Gray lost to that guy!" Natsu said, his chest flaring up.

"Bixlow must've cheated!" Happy said.

"_Who cares?"_ Laxus said_, "Fights aren't supposed to be fair, they're supposed to be won! And seeing as Gray's out for the count, I'd say I've won!"_

"Gajeel's still here!" Happy said. Laxus let out a snort.

"_That's idiot? He's not here! He doesn't even care about the guild!"_

"Just fight me already! I'll incinerate you!"

"_When are you going to shut up?"_

"Laxus!" Everyone looked to the master, as he walked up to his grandson.

"You've made your point," Makarov said slowly, "But enough is enough." He then looked up, straight into Laxus' eye.

"I surrender."

"WHAT?!" Natsu roared, steam leaking from his mouth, "You can't let this guy have his way!"

Laxus was silent for a time, before a look of pure evil wormed its way onto his face.

"_Oh I'm afraid that's not enough,"_ he said_, "If you want me to stop you'll have to give me something else."_ Makarov narrowed his eyes.

"And that would be…"

"_Mastery over Fairy Tail!"_

**Note: I'm at a position where for the sake of the story, I have to stick close to canon for the next few chapters. I don't like it, but I have to, unless someone has an idea how I could alter the canon. But for now, I'm probably not going to dwell on the non-major battles. The best I could do is try and expand on Gray and Bixlow's battle slightly.**

**On an unrelated, I actually saw a guest reviewer essentially ordering me that I not do NaLu. Why you can feel free to have a different interest (I actually do like NaZa, though I like NaLu slightly more), I'm not making this for any one person. If you don't like NaLu, which I said would occur in this in the beginning, then don't complain when there are NaLu scenes.**


	6. Those Who Remain

_**Those Who Remain**_

"That's what you're out for?" Makarov growled, "Rule over the guild?" Makarov wasn't going to use the term "mastery".

"Are you kidding!" Natsu, "That's playing dirty!"

"You'll never be the Master!" Happy yelled.

"_The game'll be over in an hour and half," _Laxus said, ignoring the two_, "If you want to stop all this fighting, you will announce to the town that you are surrendering the title of Master to me! I await your answer. I''d suggest you think it over hard." _

"You bastard!" Natsu roared as he lunged at Laxus, only for the thought projection to fade, and him to land face first on the floor.

"Didn't I say it was a projection?" Happy asked.

"Damn that guy!" Natsu said, "Up there acting all high and mighty! Does he really think he's going to be the Master?"

"In all honesty I wouldn't mind giving up the title," Makarov admitted with a shrug, much to Natsu's chagrin, "But I can't give it to Laxus. That boy lacks the heart to lead this guild."

"But what about the girls?" Happy asked, "If nothing happens, then they'll all get broken!" Natsu looked at Lucy again, as his eyes narrowed, and his fists tightened.

"Can't anyone here beat Laxus?" Makarov muttered.

"I can do it!" Natsu said firmly.

"If you can't get out of here it doesn't matter," the Master said, "We need someone who go out there and be able to face him!" As if on cue, there was the sound of something falling. Everyone looked over, and noticed Gajeel leaning up from the counter, table ware in his mouth.

"Gajeel?" Makarov asked, "You were here the whole time?"

"Don't eat our tableware!" Happy yelled.

"I didn't think this was any of my business so I stayed out of it," Gajeel explained, as he jumped over the counter, and cracked his neck. Suddenly, Makarov began to feel a glimmer of hope. Gajeel was strong, at least on par with Natsu, and a Dragon Slayer on top of that. If anyone could face Laxus, Gajeel may just be him.

"Are you willing to do this for us?" Makarov asked.

"Maybe not for you," Gajeel answered, "But I've got a bone to pick with that guy! Just leave it to me, I'll take care of this!" He then marched towards the door.

The Iron Dragon Slayer slammed face first into the barrier.

"EH!" everyone squawked.

"Why can't you get out?!" Natsu demanded.

"Are you over 80?" Happy asked.

"Take a wild guess?!" Gajeel responded.

"Yes?"

"Wrong answer!" Gajeel roared, as he kicked Happy away.

"Leave Happy alone you bastard!" Natsu yelled, as he pounced at Gajeel, as they began to brawl. They were abruptly silenced as the Master forcefully separated them with his enlarged hands.

"Cut it out you two!" he ordered, "Keep your priorities straight!"

**(in town)**

There were explosions all over, as the battles continued.

"Stop it Bixlow!" Nab begged as he tried to run, "We're friends aren't we?"

"Friends?" Bixlow asked from his position on the roof, "I don't have weaklings for friends!"

There were more blasts that knocked Bixlow's "foes" away.

"How pathetic?" Evergreen said as she buzzed up to Bixlow, "Maybe we shouldn't have incapacitated those girls, it would have meant more competition."

"You call them competition?" Bixlow sneered.

**(somewhere else in town)**

Alzack collapsed on the side of a house. He knew he was one of the last men standing, and if he failed, there was a strong possibility that the girls were doomed.

"You can barely even stand, and yet you continue fighting. I _almost_ feel sorry for you."

"Freed," Alzack growled, as he turned, and saw the Rune Mage standing there, "This is all your fault! You're the one making me hurt all my friends to save Bisca! And for that…" With a yell, he fired his pistols at Freed, who easily dodged.

Alzack got ready to fire again, but all of a sudden, he couldn't breath. He tried to force out a cry, but something was preventing him. He fell to his knees, gasping, and clawing at his throat.

"Rune Magic is a very basic magic," Freed explained as he sheathed his rapier, "What it comes down to is how its used." Runes lit up around Alzack, reading _Those who use their magic will be denied oxygen._

**(at Fairy Tail)**

_Freed vs Alzack; Victor: Freed. There are now two combatants left._

"Two?" Makarov muttered, as he turned, and saw the still bickering Natsu and Gajeel

"We're not even listed?" Happy cried.

Makarov fell to his knees. _ They're the only two left?_ he thought_ Is there really no one who can challenge the Thunder Legion? Have we lost?_

"That's it!" Natsu declared loudly, as he started marching towards the stage, "I'm going to revive Erza!"

"What?!" everyone responded.

"What?" Natsu asked, turning, "If I burn it off she'll be back right?"

"That's the way it works!" Makarov yelled, "Its not like their just covered in something! They're solid stone!"

"What else are we going to do?" Natsu said.

"You aren't going to try and revive Lucy?" Happy asked.

"I'm not going to risk Lucy," Natsu said.

"But you're willing to risk Erza!" Makarov bellowed angrily. Natsu jumped onto the stage, picked up Erza, and jumped back down.

"Alright!" he said, setting Erza on the ground, cracking his knuckles, as his hands lit up in fire.

"Are you nuts?" Makarov yelled.

"Now, let's…," Natsu began, but then there was an unpleasant sound. A single crack appeared over Erza's right eye.

"AHHH!" everyone screamed.

"She's breaking!" Natsu cried, "Get some glue! We've got to put her back together!"

"Forget glue!" Gajeel said, holding up his iron head, "Use my iron! We'll weld her together!" More cracks started to appear, much to everyone's horror.

Then, all of a sudden, the stone shattered, and Erza was back, lying on the ground in surprise.

"What the…," she muttered, before looking down, "Why do I feel so warm?" She then looked towards Natsu.

"Natsu," she growled, before holding up her fist, and sent him, and Gajeel, flying.

"Erza's back!" Happy said happily.

"How are you…," Makarov muttered. Erza touched her eye.

"I think my eye had something to do with this," she said.

"That's right," Makarov said, remembering her artificial eye.

"It seems that Evergreen's magic only worked halfway," Erza noted.

"You know what's going on right?" Happy asked.

"Yes," Erza said with a nod, "I could hear everything." _Yes! _Makarov thought_ We can do this!_

Suddenly, the runes lit up, as the number of remaining combatants bumped up from "2" to "3".

"It seems my returned presence has altered the game," Erza noted as she got ready to go into battle. That was when the numbers flashed again, going from "3" to "4".

"Four?" Happy asked, "Why's that?"

"It seems someone else has joined the fray," Makarov noted. Erza grinned.

**(on the outskirts of Magnolia)**

A tall, cloaked man strolled into town, looking over the sights of the battle.

"So this is what's been going on in my absence?" he muttered. He wasn't interested in anyone, but one person.

"Its time I put you down, Laxus."

**(at Fairy Tail)**

"Mystogan?" Happy asked, "He's back?"

"This is very good," Makarov said, "He's just as strong as Laxus! He can end all of this!"

"I'll go out!" Erza said, "I'll take care of everything!"

"Go after Evergreen!" Makarov instructed, "Take away Laxus' bargaining chips!"

"Right! I'm on it!" Erza said as she dashed out to join the battle.

"What about me?" Natsu and Gajeel cried in unison as they sprawled against the barrier.

**(with Laxus)**

"So Mystogan has come to join our party?" Laxus muttered. He grinned. They'd yet to do battle, and Laxus was certainly looking forward to this.

"I was just starting to think it was time you and I learned who was more powerful," he said, as lighting crackled across his knuckles.

**(with Erza)**

Erza ran down the street, still in her gothic lolita outfit for a strange reason, which drew a few glances.

"Ms. Erza!" a townsperson called, "What's going on with all this?"

"Nothing at all!" Erza said with a smile, "Just another tussle! Make sure you're prepared for the parade! Its still going to be quite the sight!"

She then continued running, and that was when there was a blast of magic. Erza leapt out of the way, and looked up to see Evergreen standing on a nearby roof, staring down at the red head.

"So you escaped my spell?" she said, "I suppose that's a good thing for me. It means I can take you down!"

"Evergreen," Erza hissed.

"More than anyone else, you piss me off, Erza," Evergreen said darkly, "You, who possess the name 'Titania', while we all know that I am the only true 'Queen of the Fairies'!" She then leapt into the air, and released a strange golden dust.

"What this?" Erza asked, "Dust?"

"Fairy Bomb: Gremlin!" Evergreen said, as the dust exploded. Erza emerged from the explosion, more or less unharmed, as she summoned up a sword, and slashed at Evergreen. The green-clad mage avoided the hit, and lifted her glasses.

"I do prefer things easier," she said, as she looked into Erza's eyes. However, Erza shut her left eye, only showing her right eye. The Stone Eyes had no effect, much to Evergreen's surprise, as she had to avoid another slash.

"So you've got an artificial eye?" she said, "No matter, I'll just use a different magic to beat you!" She then waved her fan, sending out multiple blasts of magic.

"Fairy Machine Gun: Leprechaun!" Erza twisted and dodged all the blasts, as she summoned up an additional sword, and charged at Evergreen.

"Too slow!" Evergreen sneered, as she avoided the attack, and fluttered away. Erza ran after in pursuit.

**(with Laxus)**

Laxus' fists tightened. He had been so caught him in potentially fighting Mystogan, that he hadn't been paying attention that Erza had also been freed, and was fighting Evergreen. Now Laxus had no faith in Evergreen's capability to defeat Erza, and if Evergreen lost, than he leverage was completely gone. So with that, he decided to remind everyone who was control.

**(at Fairy Tail)**

"Let me out!" Gajeel said, as his iron sword struck at the barrier.

"No, let me out first!" Natsu said, as he tore at the barrier with his fiery hands.

"Still going at it," Makarov said, shaking his head.

"Aye, but what do you expect?" Happy said.

Suddenly, there was a glow. Everyone looked up, as there was a glowing up in the ceiling.

"Is that…," Happy began.

"Laxus!" Makarov said, "What's he doing now?"

"_So what if Erza's free?" _Laxus voice said_, "I've still got the upper hand! Now let me show you what happens when you defy me!"_ A bolt of lightning then struck towards the stage, heading for the girls, or more specifically, Lucy.

Everyone cried out, but Natsu's cry was loudest, as he sprung forward. Just in time, he intercepted the lighting, which blasted him instead of Lucy.

"Natsu!" Happy cried.

"Salamander! You dolt!" Gajeel said.

"_Hahaha!"_ Laxus roared as a thought projection appeared_, "What a stupid idiot!"_

"Laxus!" Makarov said, "You really went so far…"

"_Oh relax!"_ Laxus said_, "I'm more sporty than that! I was going to strike an inch away! But Natsu of course was too stupid to realize that!"_ Suddenly, Natsu rose from the dust, his body still smoking.

"You tried to hurt Lucy," he muttered, in a tone no one had ever heard before.

"_Yeah? What of it?"_ Natsu looked at the statue of Lucy, before his body flared up with fire.

"What is that?" Happy asked.

"Such power," Makarov muttered. The fire then began to concentrate back down, into Natsu's eye.

"Eye of the Fire Dragon," Natsu murmured, as he turned towards Laxus, his Dragon's Eye now active.

Laxus narrowed his eyes, his smile gone. This was a new one.

"_So what?" _he said_, "You still can't get out of here."_ Natsu just ignored him, as he roared, and charged at the barrier, his body cloaked with fire, running right through the thought projection. Gajeel had to dive out of the way to avoid Natsu's charge.

Natsu held up his hands, as the three clawed hands appeared. They then grabbed the barrier.

"What's he doing?" Happy asked. That was when the magic flared, and the runes began to flash rapidly. The people, cat, and projection assembled there couldn't believe their eyes.

"_Impossible…," _Laxus murmured.

Natsu was ripping the barrier open.

With a tremendous roar, Natsu tore a gap in the barrier, and launched himself out of it, a pair of fire wings opening, as he took to the air.

"LAXUS!" Natsu roared.

**(with Erza)**

The two girls suddenly stopped their battle, as they looked over, and saw a fiery shape soaring into the air.

"Is that…," Evergreen muttered.

"Natsu," Erza murmured. She recognized that power.

**(at Fairy Tail)**

"_It can't be," _Laxus said slowly, his face completely flummoxed_, "These enchantments are absolute!"_

"Damn," was all Gajeel could say.

"Go get him Natsu!" Happy said.

Makarov could only stare in silence and awe. _He just may be able to do it_ he said.

**Note: And here we have the first deviation from canon. I hope you liked it. I certainly enjoyed writing it.**

**Something that we should all keep in mind, is that while Dragneel may have Dragon's Eye like Dragonia, Dragneel lacks the skill (I'm hesitant to say "power" since Dragneel has A LOT of raw power). With that said, Dragneel's ability with Dragon's Eye isn't as great as Dragonia, so that means Dragneel may not have the automatic victory we might think.**

**On an unrelated note, I've settled on which way I'm going to take the story, though I'm not going to tell. I'm afraid you're going to have to wait. I also just finished reading **_**Rave Master**_**, so I'm in a "Mashima" mood.**


	7. Thunder Palace

_**Thunder Palace**_

The gap that Natsu tore in the barrier promptly closed itself, but the sight of the event still left everyone astounded.

"That's some power," Makarov said. Gajeel stared jealously after Natsu.

"Erza told me about that power!" Happy said, "With that, Natsu can beat Laxus no problem!"

"You're forgetting something," Gajeel said.

"What?" Happy asked.

"Salamander doesn't know where Laxus is."

"Aye! That's right!" Happy said, "He's going to be going all over the place!"

"That doesn't matter," Makarov said, "Natsu will be able to find Laxus eventually, and when he does, he may finally have the power to defeat him!"

**(with Natsu)**

Natsu actually wasn't going after Laxus just yet. HIs first priority was making sure was Lucy was safe, and as long as she was still a statue, she wouldn't be safe.

So with that in mind, Natsu followed his nose to where Erza was. He remembered who the Master had told Erza to go after.

"Evergreen," Natsu growled, as he flapped his fire wings.

**(with Erza)**

Erza and Evergreen watched the fiery form of Natsu flew through the air.

"I thought he was trapped behind Freed's barrier!" Evergreen said, "How'd he get out?" Erza remembered the Tower of Heaven, and how Natsu had managed to defeat Jellal using that power.

"How he got out doesn't matter!" Erza said, "What does matter, is that he's going to beat Laxus!"

"Don't make me laugh!" Evergreen yelled, "You mean to tell me Natsu is going to defeat Laxus! You know that's impossible!"

"Don't you underestimate Natsu," Erza said, pointing a sword at her, "But it doesn't matter. What matters right now is you and me!" With that, she jumped at Evergreen.

"Fairy Machine Gun: Leprechaun!" Evergreen said, waving her fan, sending blasts of magic at Erza, who deflected them all with her swords. She then balanced on her hands, summoning up another two swords in her feet. With that, she twisted her body around, as she deflected all the attacks.

"Then try this!" Evergreen said, holding up her hands, "Fairy Beam: Pixy!" There was a massive concentration of Fairy Dust, as Evergreen's strongest attack was blasted straight at Erza. However, Erza didn't flinch as she spun around, and cut right through the dust.

"Nice try," she said sarcastically.

"Wha…," was all Evergreen could muscle out, before Erza threw the two swords on her feet. Unable to react in time, Evergreen suddenly found herself pinned against the wall. Erza took a breath, as she wiped her brow, not putting down her swords.

"You're insufferable," she said as she approached her defeated opponent, "But a member of Fairy Tail nonetheless." Evergreen just glowered at Erza stubbornly.

"Oh quit with that glare!" Erza as she slapped Evergreen upside the head, "I didn't ask for that title. Hell, I don't even know who gave it to me. If you want it, knock yourself out."

"Why you!" Evergreen cried, now completely enraged.

"I defeated you in combat," Erza said, "Now turn the others back to normal!"

"Never!" Evergreen said, "If I'm to free them, then you must beg at my feet naked! If you don't, then I'll turn the girls to dust here and now!" Erza blinked, before rolling her eyes. _You're such a child_ she thought, as she got ready to equip into an armor to intimidate Evergreen into doing it.

That was when the ceiling exploded, and as the women looked up, they could hear an angry roar.

"Evergreen!" Natsu shouted as he dropped to the ground. Evergreen let out a scream, as Natsu pinned her to the ground by her throat. Erza gasped. She'd seen Natsu angry, but this anger was unlike anything she had seen before. It was as if Natsu's anger had completely consumed him.

"Turn Lucy back!" Natsu growled to the pinned Evergreen, squeezing her throat. All Evergreen could do in response was croak. That was enough Erza decided, this wasn't Natsu.

"Natsu!" Erza yelled. The sound of Erza yelling made Natsu look over his shoulder, and he saw Erza standing there, staring him down. Erza looked into his eyes, and that was when she saw it. A huge, serpentine shape cloaked in fire, with massive glowing eyes. Erza shook her head to clear her thoughts.

"Let her go!" she ordered, "You're better than this!" Natsu looked at Erza before letting out a breath of hot air, and stepping back.

"Turn Lucy back," he repeated.

"Y… yes sir," a dazed Evergreen said.

**(at Fairy Tail)**

"Ah!" Lucy said as she was freed, "What?"

The men and cat turned, as all the girls were turned to normal.

"What happened?" Levy asked.

"Where is everyone?" Bisca asked.

"Lucy!" Happy cried as he dove into Lucy's arms.

"Happy?" Lucy asked.

"Well done!" Makarov said happily, as he noticed the runes change, but the smile soon faded as it changed to read _Natsu vs Erza_.

**(with Natsu and Erza)**

"They're all free," Natsu said as he stepped back from Evergreen, "I can feel it." He then began to walk away.

"Natsu!" Erza called.

"What?" Natsu asked, turning to his friend.

"What you did just now," Erza said firmly, "That wasn't you. No matter what, Evergreen is our comrade, and you wouldn't do this to one of our comrades." Natsu was silent, as he looked at the unconscious Evergreen, and then at his hand. He clenched his fist, knowing Erza was right.

"I know," he said, "But right now, I'm off to find Laxus. I'm going to beat him!" Erza nodded in agreement.

"I'll do the same," she said, as she re-quipped into her Heart Kruez armor. As Natsu was walking, he abruptly stopped.

"What is it?" Erza asked. Natsu held out his hand, and touched a barrier.

"One of Freed's enchantments?" Erza cried out. She knew this what this meant. _I have to fight Natsu_ she thought. Now the two of them had brawled before, but this fight would be different.

"Natsu…," she began, but stopped when she saw Natsu grab at the barrier, his hands cloaked with fire. With a roar, Natsu tore the barrier apart. Erza watched in amazement as Natsu created his fire wings, and flapped into the air.

**(with Laxus)**

Laxus angrily smashed his fist against a column.

"Damn Evergreen!" he said angrily, "That damn weakling!"

"You probably should've sent me or Bixlow instead," Freed said as he approached Laxus, "Evergreen isn't strong enough for Erza." Laxus turned towards Freed, glaring at him.

"You said your enchainments are absolute," he growled.

"Yes they are," Freed said with a nod.

"Then care to tell me why Natsu is out and about?" Laxus growled. That caught Freed off guard.

"That's… that's not possible," Freed said, "No one can break my barriers!"

"And yet Natsu's running amok!" Laxus yelled angrily. Freed shook, before taking a breath.

"Well, the game's over isn't?" he asked, "With the girls all free, the Master won't do anything now?"

His response was a blast of lightning that only narrowly missed him.

"In case that didn't make things clear," Laxus said darkly, "Things are far from over, not while I'm still standing. And if you're not up for this, then piss off, I don't need weaklings in Fairy Tail!" Freed just stepped back, and did not pursue the issue any further..

**(at Fairy Tail)**

"The Battle of Fairy Tail?" Lucy asked.

"Never thought Laxus would pull a stunt like that," Cana said.

"And to be kept hostage like that," Levy said, "I feel bad for that."

"Don't worry yourself about that," Bisca said, "It's not our fault Laxus was being more of a dick than usual."

"You should've seen Natsu!" Happy said, flying up, "He was crying out 'Lucy!' 'Lucy!' 'Lucy!' again and again!" All eyes immediately fell to a crimson faced Lucy.

"No!" she said quickly, waving her hands, "You must've misheard him!"

"Lucy!" Mirajane said, giving Lucy a hug, "Why didn't you tell me you and Natsu were a couple? I would have made you something special for you anniversary!"

"We're not a couple!" Lucy said quickly.

"Yeah girl, I believe you completely," Cana said sarcastically with a grin. Juvia grabbed Lucy's hands.

"Now that she's not Juvia's love rival, Lucy and Juvia can be friends!" she said happily.

"Calm down all of you!" Makarov instructed, "You can discuss Lucy's romantic exploits later, but we need to keep our heads on straight. Now that you're all free, Laxus' leverage is gone, that means its over."

"Good thing Natsu isn't here," Bisca said, "He'd probably want to keep fighting."

"That's probably a forgone conclusion," Cana said, "Though he probably isn't going to stop till he gets at Laxus."

"But he'll get hurt if he does that!" Mirajane said worriedly.

"Don't be so sure," Happy said, "He ripped through Freed's barrier like it was nothing, and then he made dragon wings out of fire and flew away. He may actually be able to beat him."

"_Don't be so sure cat!"_ Suddenly, the barrier turned black, as a skull appeared on it. The same symbol appeared in runes surrounding the group.

"What is this?" Gajeel demanded.

"_It seems one of the rules is out the window," _Laxus voice said_, "So I guess it would be best that I made a new one!"_

"Laxus!" Makarov roared, "What more is there to do!"

"_There is always more to do!" _ It wasn't certain that Laxus heard that, but that was the response.

"_I'm hereby enacting Thunder Palace! You've got an hour and ten minutes!"_ Laxus said, before the symbols faded.

"Thunder Palace!" Makarov echoed, before roaring, "That's insane boy! You'll drag the townspeople into this!" Suddenly, he doubled over, grabbing his chest.

"Master!" Mirajane cried out.

"What's wrong?" Lucy asked.

"He needs his medicine!" Mirajane said, hurrying to the infirmary.

"Hang in their Master!" Levy said, bending down.

"Of all the times for this to happen!" Bisca said frustratedly.

"What is this, Thunder Palace?" Gajeel demanded.

"How should we know?" Cana answered.

"I think I might know!" Mirajane called, "Everyone come to the roof!"

After taking the Master to the infirmary, they all assembled on the roof.

"Oh my god," Lucy whispered, which probably summed up everyone else's reaction.

Ringing the entire town, were multiple lacrima orbs, each one sparking with electricity.

"Lighting Lacrima, right?" Levy asked.

"What are they doing here?" Juvia asked.

"I think I'm starting to understand this 'Thunder Palace'," Cana said narrowing her eyes, "If Fairy Tail is the center, than when the time runs out, the lighting will strike the entire town!"

"Hell if I'm letting that happen!" Bisca declared, as she summoned up her sniper rifle take aim. With a single shot, she blasted one away.

"Nice shot!" Lucy said.

"I'll take care of all of them!" Bisca said, as she got ready to take another shot. However, as she was aiming up, a lightning bolt struck down, hitting her directly.

"Bisca!" Levy cried. The gun mage fell to the ground unconscious.

"I knew it!" Gajeel said, looking up, clenching his teeth, "That was way too easy!"

"So you mean to tell us that those things will strike anyone who tries to take them down?" Cana said.

"That's cheating!" Happy said angrily.

"There's nothing left to do now!" Cana said, "We've got to go find Laxus and take him down ourselves!" She and the rest of the remaining girls charged out of the guild hall, save for Levy, who was tending to Bisca.

"Damn it!" Gajeel said angrily, butting his head against the barrier, standing on the edge of the roof, "Salamander is out there fighting, showing me up! Let me out so I can kick his ass!" Levy said at Gajeel's antics.

"I've got an idea!" she said, raising her hand. Gajeel turned to look at her.

"Letter Magic is my speciality!" Levy said with a thumbs up, "I'll see if I can rewrite the runes, and let us pass!"

**(with Laxus)**

_The Thunder Palace?_ Freed thought,_ Must we really go so far?_

"What are you still doing here?" Laxus demanded, "Go out and help Bixlow mop up the ones remaining! The old man's resting his hopes on Erza, Mystogan, and Natsu, I'll beat all three of them! You and Bixlow kill the girls."

"Kill?" Freed asked in surprised.

"I don't like being repeated," Laxus hissed.

"Of course, its just must we kill them?" Freed said, clenching his fist, "They're still…"

"Are you questioning me?!" Laxus yelled at Freed, "I said kill them!" Freed stared at Laxus, before letting his head fall in submission.

"Yes," he said, "We've come this far, its too late to turn back!" With that, his body dissipated into runes, and he floated away.

**(with Natsu)**

Natsu flew around the Lightning Lacrima, examining them.

"I wonder what these are for?" he wondered, "Maybe the Master's doing something special?" Natsu, being Natsu, decided to do his default means of learning about something: setting it on fire. He breathed fire on it, only for it to shatter and blast him with lighting.

Natsu briefly tumbled down, before flapping his wings, and regaining his equilibrium. He noticed that the lighting didn't do as much damage as it normally did. Perhaps it had something to do with Dragon's Eye.

"Laxus," Natsu growled, now understanding what these things were. He then beat his wings again, and resumed his search.

**Note: Really? Two or three reviews per chapter? Come on people, reviewing isn't hard! Its the least you can do for me!**

**With that out of the way, now that Laxus has deployed the Thunder Palace, it seems the game is changing, but if that weren't enough, we're starting to see a new side of Natsu. Something tells me it has something to do with Dragon's Eye.**


	8. Regulus

_**Regulus**_

"This is going to take way too long," Lucy said, as she and Happy moved through the streets, "Why don't we just use the guild megaphone?" Unlike Cana and Juvia, who were tasked with taking down the remaining members of the Thunder Legion, Lucy was supposed to go around, and try to evacuate the town. Unfortunately, the only means she currently had of doing that, was going around and warning each person on at a time.

"There's an enchantment on it!" Happy explained as he glided next to her, "Only the Master can use it!"

"Geez," Lucy said with a sigh, "It seems like they thought of everything!" She looked over the edge of a rail as she crossed a bridge over the streets. Assembled across in food stands and games, were lots of people.

"Why are there so many people?" she asked.

"Everyone's getting ready for the festival," Happy said as he landed on the rail, "I don't think we'll be able to get everyone out."

"Well we can't give up," Lucy said, "Now let's see…"

"Let's see! Let's see!"

"Lucy!" Happy cried, as he dove at her, and managed to knock her out of the way in time, as there was a massive explosion.

"Kyah!" Lucy cried.

**(with Natsu)**

Natsu abruptly stopped in mid air, as he turned. He heard Lucy screaming; she was in trouble.

"I'm coming for ya' Luce!" he cried as he soared towards where he heard the scream.

**(with Lucy)**

Thanks to Happy, Lucy mangled to avoid injury, and when she looked up, she noticed a tall man standing on the roof.

"Bixlow!" Happy yelled.

"So you're the new girl?" Bixlow said, cocking his head with a grin, "I've heard a lot of things about you."

"You did?" Lucy asked, "Well then don't tell me! Because they probably aren't good!"

"Mostly how you're the 'Manic Queen of Cosplay'!"

"That's all made up!" Lucy cried.

"Its not entirely inaccurate," Happy said.

"So what are you now, a cheerleader?" Bixlow sneered.

"What? No!" Lucy said quickly, "This was just for the pageant!"

"Whatever, get 'er babies!" Bixlow ordered. With that, his dolls blasted at Lucy, who managed to dodge with Happy.

"I know I should probably go easy on you, seeing as your a new member," Bixlow said cruelly, "But we're in the middle of the game, so I can't do that!"

"A game?" Lucy said angrily, "That's what this is to you? You think the Master is going to let this go?"

"The old man?" Bixlow asked, "Screw him! When this is done, Laxus will be the Master!"

"Not if I can help it!" Lucy said, "Open, Gate of the Horse Archer: Sagittarius!"

"Hello! Hello! What can I do for you?" the archer said with a salute.

"Celestial Spirit Magic, eh?" Bixlow said, "So are they cosplayers too?"

"Will you drop it already!" Lucy yelled, "Sagittarius, take care of those flying heaps of junk!"

"Hello! Hello! Yes it will be done!" Sagittarius proceeded to notch his arrows, and fire quickly. Not a single arrow missed, as each one blasted the dolls, destroying them.

"Babies!" Bixlow cried.

"Mission accomplished!" Sagittarius said with a salute.

"Way to go Sagittarius!" Lucy said, pumping her fist.

"No! My babies!" Bixlow cried, "First you're frozen, now you're blasted! Why? Its not fair! Its not fair! Its…. kidding!" Lucy paused, as suddenly, there was another blast of magic, which hit Sagittarius straight in the chest.

"Sagittarius!" Lucy cried.

"I'm sorry!" Sagittarius gasped out, "I'm afraid I must take my leave…" With that, in a flash of light, he returned to the Celestial Spirit world.

"What the?" Lucy cried out.

"Bixlow's magic lets him put souls into dolls, and control them!" Happy explained.

"The cat's got it right," Bixlow answered, "You can destroy the objects all you want, but I'll just transfer them into a new location!" He then spread his arms.

"And just your luck, we're at a toy shop!" he said excitedly, "So there's no way you being able to beat me here!" Lucy cringed, as she clenched her fists and thought about her options.

"Listen…," she began, but then she heard…

"LLLLUUUUCCCCYYYY!" Everyone turned, and saw Natsu swooping down towards them. However, he smashed face first into the barrier.

"Natsu!" Lucy cried.

"Damn!" Bixlow laughed, "He looks like a dumb bird that just flew into a window!" However, he wasn't laughing, when Natsu grabbed the barrier, and began to rip it open.

"How the hell's he doing that?" Bixlow demanded.

"Natsu, what are you doing?" Lucy asked.

"I'm going to save you Lucy!" Natsu answered as he began to work his way in, "I won't let you get hurt!" Lucy blushed at that, before a smile crept onto her face.

"You don't have to worry," she said. Natsu paused, as he saw her grinning at him.

"I'll take this guy!" Lucy said with a thumbs up, "You just go find Laxus and show him whose boss!"

"But…," Natsu began.

"Natsu!" Lucy said, silencing him, "I'll be alright!" The Dragon Slayer was reluctant to leave, but he saw the smile on Lucy's face, and he found himself trusting her. He took a breath.

"Alright," he said, "Good luck!" With that, he pushed off, and flew away.

"I highly doubt you're going to be alright," Bixlow's voice said. Suddenly, one of his dolls flew past her, grabbing Lucy's keys, and knocking her to the ground.

"No, my keys!" Lucy cried.

"What's a Celestial Spirit Mage without her keys?" Bixlow sneered, as he caught them, "Sorry to break it to you, Cosplay Girl, but you lose! Your soul is mine! Baryon Formation!" His dolls then assembled into formation, before firing a massive blast of magic at Lucy.

"Lucy!" Happy cried, as Lucy tried to shield herself with her arms. That was when someone grabbed her, and quickly carried her to safety. When the dust cleared, everyone looked at Lucy's savior.

"I generally don't have the power to pass between realms this freely," a familiar voice said, "But when it comes to our love, nothing can't break barriers."

"Love?" Lucy said with a sweat drop.

**(with Natsu)**

"Why are my Lucy senses tingling?" Natsu mused to himself as he flew.

**(with Lucy)**

"Loke?" Bixlow said, "Didn't expect to see you here, but I'll admit, I always had a feeling that you weren't normal!"

"How did he know?" Lucy asked.

"Bixlow is able to see human souls," Happy answered.

"Now that I'm here," Loke said as he adjusted his ring, "I think its time I brought this to an end. You hurt my summoner, so it is now my duty to crush you into dust!"

"Quite a speech!" Bixlow sneered, "Let's see if you can live up to it! Sick 'em babies!" The dolls all shot at Loke and Lucy.

"Stay back!" Loke said, "Let me handle them!"

"No way!" Lucy said as she brought out her whip, "A Celestial Spirit isn't a shield! Its my responsibility to fight as well!"

"I wouldn't let Natsu see this," Happy said with a snicker.

"Shut up!" Lucy yelled.

The dolls all fired their attacks, which the two managed to dodge.

"Taste the power of Regulus!" Loke said as his fist glowed, and as he swung it, he destroyed the dolls.

"Its going to take more than that!" Bixlow said, as another group of dolls hovered up, and attacked. Fortunately, Loke managed to destroy them, causing Bixlow to focus on him.

"Mind your surroundings!" Loke said. Bixlow looked up, and saw Lucy being carried by Happy up to him.

"Lucy Kick!" Lucy said, as she kicked Bixlow in the chin, knocking him away. The helmeted man managed to flip back to his feet, and smirked, rubbing his chin.

"Not bad, not bad at all!" he sneered, "I guess I should take it up a notch!" His hands then went to his vizor.

"Don't look!" Happy yelled, as he, Lucy, and Loke all averted their eyes.

"Figure Eyes!" Bixlow said, revealing his glowing green eyes.

"If you look into those eyes, you'll turn into a doll and he'll be able to control you!" Happy said.

"Correct," Bixlow said, "And seeing as now you can't see…" His dolls then blasted Lucy, who let out a cry of pain.

"Lucy!" Loke cried, but he was soon blasted himself. All the while, Bixlow was laughing maniacally.

"Yes!" he roared, "No one can beat my combo! I'm invincible!"

"Lucy!" Loke called, as he resisted the battering, "Can't you summon Hologrium and take shelter?"

"He took my keys!" Lucy answered, "And besides…" Loke looked over at her.

"I'm trusting you now!" the blonde cried, "You can beat him!" Loke stared, before a smile crept onto his lips.

"We can't open our eyes while Bixlow's are open, but if he were too close them," he said, "Open your eyes when I say!"

"But…"

"Don't you trust me?" Loke asked.

"Yes!" Lucy said firmly.

"Saying a few last words?" Bixlow laughed, "How romantic? Finish them babies!"

"Zenith of Regulus," Loke muttered, "Lion Brilliance!" There was a huge flash of light, that was so great, Bixlow had to cover his eyes.

"The hell?"

"Now!" Loke ordered. Lucy then opened her eyes, charged, and lashed her whip, catching Bixlow around the throat.

"You think this will work?" Bixlow demanded, as he started opening eyes, but he was too slow as Loke was upon him.

"And you think I'll ever let myself fall to you?" Loke roared, "Since meeting with Lucy, I've regained all my powers as a Celestial Spirit, nay, meeting with Lucy has made me strong! And I will never let you win!" He then held up a glowing fist, which tok the form of a golden lion head made out of magic.

"Regulus Impact!" he said, as he slammed his fist into Bixlow's gut, sending the Seith Mage careening away, and into the ground, completely defeated.

"You did it!" Happy said. Lucy let out a sign of relief.

"Thank you," she said with a smile.

"Lucy," Loke said, "Look what I can make." He then waved his hand, sending out a spell of magic, that formed the letters "I Love Lucy". Both the girl and the cat sweat dropped.

"I wouldn't let Natsu see that," Lucy said.

"Yeah, I think he had first dibs," Happy said.

"I'm not a piece of food!"

**Note: I was initially going to do more this chapter, but I thought this battle deserved its own solo chapter.**

**Looking at the reviews is reassuring, seeing as I've heard of a lot of hate for Fairy Tail lately, and its comforting seeing other fans.**

**I'm working on EOTBD right now, and I hope to have it done soon.**


	9. Satan's Tears

_**Satan's Tears**_

Lucy let out a cry of exhaustion, as she lay against the wall.

"I'm completely beat," she said, "It feels like body's made out of lead.

"You did summon two Celestial Spirits," Happy said.

"Lucy," Loke said, holding out her keys, "Never forget, I'm never far away." Lucy smiled as she took them.

"I know," she said, "Thank you."

**(with Natsu)**

"Damn!" Natsu growled, as he soared over the town, sniffing and scanning, "I still can't pick up Laxus' scent!" With the Festival upon them, all the people were out and about, the scents were overflowing, and picking out one was practically impossible.

That was when Natsu noticed some of the runes lighting up. He briefly stopped flying, as he landed on a roof top.

"Way to go Lucy!" Natsu said with a grin. In his happiness, he wasn't noticing how he wasn't so much standing on it, as much as he was perching.

**(at Fairy Tail)**

_Bixlow vs Lucy; Victory: Lucy_

"The hell? Bunny Girl won?" Gajeel said in surprise.

"Don't underestimate, Lu!" Levy said, briefly looking up from her books, "She's a lot stronger than you think!" She then continued studying.

"Alright, let's see," she muttered.

"Do you have to say this out loud?" Gajeel asked.

"Its easier to think when I'm talking out loud," Levy explained, before continuing, "Maybe if I can move this letter, and end the sentence here… No, that would cause it to set Gajeel on fire. Now what if I try writing over the enchantment instead rewriting it? No, Freed's too good for that. Maybe…" Then she had an epiphany.

"That's it!" she declared, sitting up, "I figured it out!" Gajeel looked down at her.

"What I need to do is decipher it separately," Levy explained, "By translating it to Rouge, then back into ancient, I can…."

"You and I both know that's just linguistic babble to me," Gajeel said, "Just do your thing." Levy looked at him briefly, before pouting.

"Spoil sport," she said as she went to undo the barrier.

"Time to get this thing really started," Gajeel said as he cracked his knuckles.

**(with Mirajane)**

As Mirajane ran down the street, intending on trying to help Lucy evacuate people, she noticed some damage, no doubt the result of the fight, but it was the body she really noticed.

"Elfman!" she called, going to her brother's side.

"Mira?" Elfman weakly answered looking up, "You're… okay?"

"Forget about me!" Mirajane said, bending down, "You're badly hurt!"

"I'm a man," Elfman slowly said, "I can deal with it."

"I'm so sorry!" Mirajane cried, tears dripping down her cheeks, "I should've been there for you now, and back in Phantom Lord! Please forgive me!"

"I don't have to forgive you, because you didn't do anything," Elfman answered, "Just keep smiling, that's all I need you keep smiling." Mirajane just continued her sobbing.

**(with Cana and Juvia)**

"How much time do we have?" Cana asked.

"Juvia thinks about half an hour," Juvia answered, looking around. They were out looking for Freed, having just heard that Lucy had defeated Bixlow.

"Damn this Battle of Fairy Tail!" Cana yelled angrily, "When I find Laxus, I'm going to shove an explosion card straight up…"

"Please!" Juvia cried, "Juvia gets the picture!"

"Sorry," Cana answered, though she didn't sound particularly sorry.

"Now that you've said that, you know I can let you go." The girls looked up, and saw Freed standing over them.

"Freed!" Cana said angrily.

"This is the guy causing the enchantments?" Juvia asked.

Freed narrowed his eyes, as instructions echoed through his mind, before he darted away.

"Trying to run for it?" Cana called, as she and Juvia ran after him. As they were, they failed to pay attention. At that point, several runes lit up.

"An enchantment!" Cana said with surprise. The runes lit up to read "Leaving this enchantment is forbidden until one or other of the occupants is rendered unable to fight".

"We have to fight now?" Juvia said nervously.

"When you're done, I'll take on the winner," Freed said.

"You bastard!" Cana yelled, "If you want to have a one on one fight, then take on me! What are you, too scared to take on us girls?"

"Its called being practical," Freed answered, "I've got find someway to take care of you, and that Phantom Bitch." He looked at Juvia in disdain while saying that, though she ignored it.

"Shove that up your ass!" Cana roared, banging on the barrier.

"Go ahead and beat at it," Freed said, "No one can get through it!"

"Tell that to Natsu," Cana said, smirking, "I heard he ripped open the barrier like it was nothing!" Freed's eye twitched.

"Well you're not Natsu," Freed answered, "You're not leaving until the barrier is gone, which I'm not going to do."

"Than I suppose there's nothing left to do," Juvia said, as her water body surged up, "Freed!" The green-haired mage glanced at her.

"You said that we'll be let go if one of us is unable fight, yes?" Juvia inquired.

"That is correct."

"Good then," Juvia said as she smiled. With that, she began to rise into the air.

"What are you doing?" Cana demanded, "We can't play his game!" But then Juvia did something Cana didn't expect. Instead of striking at Cana, she turned into a massive torrent of water that bounced off the barrier, climbing up.

"That's pointless," Freed said, "The barrier has no opening." But then he noticed Juvia was apparently trying to escape, she was aiming for something else in the sky.

"She's going for one of the lacrima!" Freed yelled.

"Juvia!" Cana cried.

"If I have to hurt a someone, I'd rather it be myself, than a comrade!" Juvia proclaimed, as she struck down the lacrima. Immediately after, there was a bolt of lighting that struck her, as she let out a cry. Freed watched in shock, as Cana watched in despair. After Juvia crashed to the ground, Cana ran up to her.

"What the hell were you thinking?" she demanded.

"Juvia…," the water mage said weakly, "… wanted to prove that she was a true member of Fairy Tail to everyone, and how much she cares about you all…"

"You stupid idiot!" Cana sobbed, crying, "You don't need to prove anything to anyone! You always have been, and always will be one of us!"

Freed stared in shock. _She'd be so willing to sacrifice herself?_ he thought. Cana whiled around to face him.

"FREED!" she roared.

**(with Gajeel)**

Gajeel jumped onto a tree to get a better vantage point. He remembered Levy's warning about avoiding the barriers since, unlike Salamander, he couldn't rip them open. And as much as he wanted to, he couldn't go after him just yet. He had to keep his priorities straight.

"_You seem to be confident in yourself," _a voice called. Gajeel turned, and saw a small paper figure floating up to him.

"What are you doing here, Master Ivan?" Gajeel inquired.

"_I heard about what was going on, so I thought I'd drop in and see it for myself," _the paper figure said.

"Its a serious shame about Salamander's power, though," Gajeel said, "I may not be able to beat him up as much I should."

"_That doesn't matter. You need to keep up the current act, and let Fairy Tail trust you, and show them what you can really do."_

"Roger that," Gajeel said darkly.

**(with Mirajane and Elfman)**

"I can walk on my own, Mira," Elfman said.

"No you can't!" Mirajane answered firmly, "This is the least I can do for you at this point!"

"What do we do, though?" Elfman asked.

"Well for now…," Mirajane was interrupted as they heard a thud. They looked, and saw Cana being knocked the ground.

"Cana!" the Strauss siblings called in unison.

"Take it back!" Cana suddenly said, looking up. The others looked up as well, and saw Freed hovering, with rune wings on his back.

"Take back what you said about Juvia being a 'Phantom Bitch'!" Cana cried. However, she let out a gasp as the magic pressure increased, and she let out a cry of pain, before she fell unconscious.

"Freed!" Elfman roared, as he pushed off from his sister, and started lumbering in Freed's direction.

"You're already defeated," Freed said, "I'm afraid that you aren't allowed to re-enter the game."

"Stop this!" Mirajane begged, "We're supposed to be friends!"

"We may have been at one point," Freed said, "But Laxus' enemies are my enemies!" He then darted up to arm, and waved his sword along his chest.

"The hell?" Elfman said.

"Dark Ecriture: Pain!" Freed said. Elfman let out a roar of pain, as he fell to his knees.

"Elfman!" Mirajane cried.

"Dark Ecriture: Fear!"

"NOOO!" Mirajane yelled, as Freed continued to torture Elfman.

"Please, Freed!" Mirajane begged, falling to her knees, "Elfman can't take anymore! You've already won, give it up!" However, Freed ignored her, as he continued his torture, and Mirajane continued sobbing in despair.

"Dark Ecriture: Death!" Freed hissed, as he got ready to end this.

_Death…. Death….. Death…_ The word echoed in Mirajane's mind, as memories flooded through it. _Lisanna…._ Suddenly she stopped screaming.

Freed stopped his spell, as he felt something.

"What is this magic?" he asked, as he turned to see Mirajane on her knees, breathing heavily.

The white haired mage then let out a tremendous roar, as her magic skyrocketed, sending the ground around her flying, and dark magic swelled around her body.

"Is this…," Freed said slowly.

Mirajane's skin turned scaly, as her hands turned to claws, her teeth into fangs, a tail shot out of her back, and her hair stood up. Not missing a beat, she sprung at Freed, who just barely managed to escape her claws, and fly away. A pair of demon wings sprung out of Mirajane's back, as she took to the air herself. Freed turned to face her.

"Satan Soul?" he muttered.

"I'm going to rip you to pieces," Mirajane said.

**(with Natsu)**

Natsu abruptly stopped in mid air, as he looked in a different direction. He knew that magical presence.

"Is that who I think it is?" he asked. Suddenly, he didn't feel the same level control in the sky that he once did.

**(with Erza)**

Erza also sensed it, and looked over her shoulder

"Mirajane," Erza said with a smile.

**(with Mirajane)**

Freed didn't even have time to react, as Mirajane jetted at him, kicking him the stomach, and sending him flying.

"Looks like I've got to go the max myself," Freed said, as he held up his fingers.

"Dark Ecriture: Darkness!" Freed said, and with a flash of dark light, he himself, had turned into a demonic looking creature, with black skin, and a black helmet over his face. He held up his fist, as his and Mirajane's collided. The force that resulted blew Freed back, but not Mirajane, who quickly responded, by flying back at Freed. She then lashed her tail out, knocking him away.

Mirajane then brought her hands together, before letting out a massive wave of dark magic, and blasting Freed with it. _Such power!_ Freed said _Is there any limit to her magic?_

"This ends now!" Mirajane said, in an inhuman voice, as in her hands, a massive orb of dark magic came together, "Evil Explosion!" She then blasted it at Freed, who didn't even bother to block it.

**(with Natsu)**

Natsu saw the explosion from the distance, and the blast of wind nearly made him lose his being airborne.

"Damn," Natsu said, "I forgot how scary that girl is!"

**(with Mirajane)**

The completely defeated Freed lay slumped on the ground, and before he could try to get up, Mirajane was on top him, her claws at his throat.

"Well, what are you waiting for?!" Freed roared. He figured he was going out, at least he was going out with dignity.

But the strike never came.

Mirajane turned to normal, as her arms fell back to her side, as she panted.

"This is so pointless," she said melancholily, with a smile.

"I don't need your pity," Freed hissed, "Just do it already."

"You know I can't do it to a friend," Mirajane said, "After all we've been through."

"Shut up!" Freed said stubbornly, "The only comrade I have is Laxus!"

"That's not true, and you know it," Mirajane said, "While its not bad to cling to a single person, you have many others around you, who've shared so much with you. You see…" She then took Freed's hand.

"You need only reach out, and find another person with you," she said.

There was a silence, before Freed teared up.

"I never wanted this," he said, covering his face.

"I know you didn't," Mirajane answered, "I don't anyone truly does in the end. Let's just go and enjoy the Festival!" Freed just smiled back at her. From further back, a conscious Cana and Elfman watched on. Elfman was carrying Juvia.

"You can't beat that girl can you?" Cana said.

"Of course not," Elfman answered.

**(with Laxus)**

Laxus inhaled and exhaled.

"Evergreen, Bixlow, Freed," he muttered, "They're all just a bunch of weaklings." He then looked up, as lightning sparked around him.

"Looks like its my turn now."

**Note: So we'll be having Laxus' fight soon. I can't guarantee chapter size that much after this, as I'll be dividing chapters based on story necessity.**

**I hope to begin further deviations from canon as things progress. Not that much else to say I guess.**


	10. Mystogan

_**Mystogan**_

Levy looked up as the barriers began to fade. She figured that meant that Freed had been defeated.

"The Thunder Legion has been defeated," she muttered, "All that's left is Laxus." She then remembered the Lacrima.

"We've only got ten minutes left. And if they don't…." Levy shook her head quickly.

"What am I saying!" she said, "We've got Natsu, Erza, and Gajeel out there, not to mention Mystogan! There's no way we can lose!"

"Say that after you've triumphed." Levy turned, and saw someone strolling into the guild hall.

"Porlyusica?"

"Where's Makarov?" the healer demanded. Levy quickly lead her into the infirmary, where Porlyusica looked over the ill guild master.

"You're going to heal him right?" Levy said hopefully. For a time, Porlyusica was silent.

"Get Laxus," she said.

"Laxus, what do you…," Levy began.

"I mean bring that foolish boy whose willfully ignorant of just how bad the situation," Porlyusica interrupted.

"Do… do you mean?" Levy stuttered. The elderly woman turned to Levy, tears in her eyes.

"Just bring Laxus," she said, "He needs to be here." Levy just stared in shock.

**(with Laxus)**

Laxus sat in the church, alone with his thoughts. The Thunder Legion had been defeated, and now he had Erza, Mystogan, Natsu, and probably Gajeel all coming for him. But that wasn't what he was thinking about at the moment. His mind was on the past.

_(Flashback)_

"_You're not going to participate in the parade?" Makarov asked._

"_That's what I said," a teenage Laxus answered, not looking at his grandfather._

"_Care to tell me why?" Now, Laxus did look down at him._

"_Because no matter what, I'm jus going to be, 'Master's grandson'!" Laxus answered, "I don't get any credit for anything I do!"_

"_Credit is something that takes effort to do," Makarov responded, "You're thinking about this too hard!"_

"_This pisses me off even more than I already was," Laxus, "And now you need to tell me, why did you excommunicate my dad?" Makarov was silent, as he took a breath._

"_He was a danger to the guild," he answered._

"_He was your son, he was family!" Laxus responded._

"_Family or not, wrong is wrong," Makarov said, "And it is the duty of Fairy Tail to stop those who do wrong!"_

"_Then maybe I'll just join the guild he made!" Laxus said._

"_Wait," Makarov said, holding up his hand, "You know where he is!"_

"_So what?" Laxus answered._

"_He has incredibly sensitive information pertaining to Fairy Tail!" Makarov said, "If you know where he is, we've got find him!"_

"_Strange coming from the guy who chased him out," Laxus sneered, "It doesn't matter anymore, don't act like you care when you don't."_

"_Laxus," Makarov hissed._

"_Just rest assured, that one day I'll surpass you," Laxus continued, "Not for my dad, but for me…" He then looked back at Makarov._

"_So that I can show everyone I'm not just 'Makarov's grandson'," he said darkly._

_(end Flashback)_

Laxus was shook from his memories as he sensed something. He suddenly grinned.

"I was wondering when you'd get here," he said, looking up, "Mystogan." Said cloaked man stood before Laxus, ready to fight.

"Though I will confess I never thought you'd actually participate," Laxus continued.

"Deactivate the Thunder Palace, immediately!" Mystogan demanded, "If you do, maybe this can go off as just more festivity."

"And miss the opportunity of the life time?" Laxus said, "The opportunity to see who is strongest, me or you?"

"I'd say neither," Mystogan said, "That distinction belongs to Gildarts."

"Well he's not here," Laxus said, "So he doesn't matter. It's obvious that its come down to just you and me. I'll admit Erza, and maybe even Natsu, have promise. But they're both weak."

"Natsu and Erza weak? I know your a fool, but surely your not that foolish," Mystogan said.

"Can't you take a compliment?" Laxus sneered, "As things stand, its just you and me."

"It seems there is nothing else you can think of," Mystogan said.

"Now let's finish this once and for all, Mystogan," Laxus said, before grinning, "Or should I say…" Mystogan's composure, as he shot blast of magic from one of his staves. Laxus countered by firing a blast of lightning. The two magic blasts collided, shattering the windows, and sending a pulse of magic.

**(with Natsu)**

Natsu looked over his shoulder.

"He's at the church?" With that, he swooped around, and flew towards the church.

**(with Erza)**

"The cathedral, eh?" Erza said, as she cracked her knuckles. She then darted down the road in that direction.

**(with Laxus and Mystogan)**

The two fighters stood opposite each other, neither flinching.

"How'd you find that out?" Mystogan demanded.

"Maybe I'll tell you beat me," Laxus answered. Mystogan spun his stave through his fingers.

"You talk a big game," he said, "And its time I test said game. Perhaps I should demonstrate a power you have never seen before?"

"Let me have it!" Laxus sneered, gesturing for Mystogan to come at him.

"I'll end this quickly," Mystogan said, as he picked up another four of his staves, and thrust those, and the one he was holding, into the ground.

"Skyscraper." The ground beneath Laxus' feet swelled up, before a blast of energy came from the floor, and blasted Laxus through the roof, into the sky.

"The hell is this!" Laxus demanded. He then looked up, and saw what looked like the sky was ripping open. From that rip, came a massive monster. Laxus was screaming, before he suddenly smiled, and held up a fist, and smashed the monster as it came upon him.

The illusion faded away, as Mystogan was knocked back, looking in surprise.

"Illusion Magic is not the best way to fight me," Laxus said.

"Well frankly, it wasn't supposed to," Mystogan said, as he gestured. Laxus looked up, and noticed a series of magic seals looming over him.

"Five Layered Magic Circle: Sacred Song!" Laxus just smiled.

"You're talking about being trapped eh?" Mystogan looked down, and saw a blast of lightning come beneath him.

The two mages were simultaneously struck into the air. The two emerged from the dust, and darted at each other. Mystogan swung a staff, Laxus thrust his lightning fist. The two attacks forced the two of them back.

"Lightning Bolt!" Laxus said, blasting his attack.

"Three Layered Magic Circle: Mirror Water!" The lightning attack reflected, and struck back at Laxus, who just knocked it away with his fist. He then turned into lightning, and bolted away. Mystogan followed his path, and when Laxus struck at him, he held up two of his staves together, and the attack bounced off.

He then threw three of his staves into the air, and held up a fourth. The three staves hovered over the fourth.

"Four Layered Magic Circle: Impact Wave!" A massive force lashed out, breaking the floor, and shooting at Laxus. The lightning mage responded by turning into lightning, and curving back at Mystogan. Mystogan responded by slamming his staff into Laxus' bolt as he came up, which redirected him back into the air.

"Not bad," Laxus said, as he fell back to the ground.

"Spare me your false compliments," Mystogan responded.

"Who said they were false?" Laxus countered.

"LAXUS!" Mystogan and Laxus turned to the door, and saw Erza standing there, and Natsu hovering next to her.

"Natsu?" Erza asked.

"Erza?" Natsu said, before landing, and looking at Mystogan, "Is that…"

"Mystogan," Erza echoed. Mystogan was looking at the two, his back was turned to Laxus.

"Mind your blind spot!" Laxus said, as he shot a bolt of Mystogan. The attack struck Mystogan, knocking off his mask.

A silence reverberated across the entire church, as everyone stared. Mystogan had blue hair, with dark eyes, and a red tattoo across his right eye. It was a face all too familiar to Erza and Natsu.

"You again!" Natsu said.

"Jellal?" Erza said slowly, "You're alive?"

"What the hell's going on!" Natsu demanded, "You mean all this time Mystogan's been Jellal?"

"You're wrong," Mystogan answered, "I may have a similar face, but I'm not Jellal." It was then that he started to fade away into mist.

"I'm afraid I've done all I can do, I leave the rest to you," he said, before fading completely.

"Wait!" Erza cried as she tried to move forward, before she was blasted by lightning.

"Erza!" Natsu cried.

"Well that's done," Laxus said cruelly.

"Laxus!" Natsu roared.

"When'd you get here, Natsu?" Laxus sneered.

"With my Dragon's Eye, I'm going to kick your ass!" Natsu said, as he charged Laxus, summoning up his fire claw.

"Stop trying so hard!" Laxus said, as he shot a lightning bolt at Natsu, while Natsu managed to curve away.

"Fire Dragon's Talon!" Natsu clawed at Laxus, who held up his arm to block.

"Too slow," Laxus said, as he shocked Natsu with a lightning bolt, knocking him off him. Natsu's chest lit up, as he inhaled, and breathed out his fire. Laxus turned into a lightning bolt, and shifted away. Natsu created his wings, and flapped after him. Laxus shot out at him, and Natsu managed to block with his wings.

"You've gotten better, I'll give you that," Laxus said.

"'Better', that's an understatement," Natsu said, as he held onto a pillar. During this time, Erza weakly looked up, and she noticed something about Natsu. He was holding his fingers in a strange way. He was only holding onto the pillar with his thumb, index finger, and middle finger; his remaining two fingers were held back, and Erza noticed that coming from the tips of his fingers were the spines of his fire wings.

"Actually, I'd say that's an overstatement knowing you," Laxus sneered. Natsu fumed, as he dove down at Laxus, and slashed at him with his claws. Laxus easily blocked it, and struck Natsu with his fist.

"Just go run home like a good boy!" he said.

"Whose running?" Laxus then noticed Natsu had grabbed his arm.

"This is my chance to seize the top!" Natsu declared, as his held up his claws again, and slashed Laxus across the chest, sending him tumbling back. Laxus held up his hands.

"Lightning Spear!" he said, as he shot a shaft of lightning, which Natsu failed to react properly to. It struck him, but quickly rose to his feet, and breathed out more of his fire, which Laxus easily dodged. He then bolted Natsu, and kicked him away.

Natsu flapped his wings, and soared around Laxus.

"Fire Dragon's Blast!" He beat his wings, sending a wave of fire at Laxus. Laxus managed to escape from that without much trouble. As he was moving back, he whirled around to see Erza slashing down at him.

"Erza!" Natsu yelled, as he perched onto one of the seats.

_I've got to put Mystogan out of mind_ she thought _I've got to keep my heard in the game!_ Laxus leaned back, as Erza slashed down.

"What are those things in the sky?" Erza demanded.

"The Thunder Palace? So you noticed it," Laxus said, "Its just a thing to make the game more interesting."

"You're willing to destroy the entire town just for your petty vanity!" Erza yelled, "You son of a bitch!" She slashed at him again, but Laxus turned to lightning and avoided the attack.

"Two minutes left," he sneered. Erza's heart raced.

"Natsu, you have to destroy those things!" she said.

"Me?!"

"Your Dragon's Eye can destroy them all!" Erza said.

"I don't know if that's advisable," Laxus said, "Tell me, why do you think nobody at the guild has done any of that?" Erza paused.

"We can't destroy them!" Natsu explained, "If we do, we get shocked!"

"Living Link Magic?" Erza said.

"I'm afraid nobody's going to be doing anything to those Lacrima," Laxus said.

"You dirty coward!" Erza yelled. Laxus then kicked her away. Erza re-quipped into a new set of armor. This armor was silver with gold linings, with a long spear, and her hair braided.

"Lightning Empress Armor!" Natsu noted

"You think that's going to be enough?" Laxus scoffed. Erza ignored him, as she turned to Natsu.

"Natsu," she said.

"What?" Natsu answered. Erza grinned at him.

"Can you handle this?" she asked. Natsu blinked in surprise, and not waiting for an answer, Erza ran out.

"Erza, wait!" Natsu called.

"You think trying to do this is going to work?!" Laxus yelled, "You strike just one of those Lacrima, you're good as dead!"

"Well I'm not planning on destroying one of them," Erza said, before turning and smirking, "I'm going to destroy all of them!"

"How stupid are you!" Laxus yelled, "You think that's going to work! That'll kill you!"

"But it'll also save the town," Erza responded, as she ran out, "Natsu! I'm trusting you for this!"

"Erza!" Natsu called. The scarlet haired mage stopped.

"I'm trusting you too," Natsu said. Erza just nodded at him, still smiling, before running out. _You saved my life_ she thought _I don't intend on letting that go._

"Damn you!" Laxus said, as he tried to follow. However, Natsu intercepted him, as his chest flared up, and with a roar, he exhaled his fire in a massive torrent, that blasted Laxus away. Natsu was now hunched over, standing on three fingers, his other two folded back. His wings weren't gone.

"I'm going to reduce you to ash," Natsu hissed.

**Note: Again, keep in mind that while Dragneel may have the same power as Dragonia, he does not possess the skill, or the power to use it as efficiently; as such, he may not be able to defeat Laxus as easy as he did Jellal. And mind you, Dragneel wasn't being Dragneel when he fought Jellal. That's something to keep in mind. If you're upset with this, bear with it, since next chapter will be something. I can't tell, but let me tell you the name: "Wrath of the Fire Dragon".**

**Take note, that Natsu didn't yell "Fire Dragon's Roar", because what he was doing was breathing fire, not using Dragon's Roar. I mean, we don't see dragon's yelling out when they use their breath weapon.**


	11. Wrath of the Fire Dragon

_**Wrath of the Fire Dragon**_

Natsu's chest glowed, and steam leaked out of his mouth, as his Dragon's Eye glowed at Laxus. The lightning mage glowered back at him.

"Why can't you see the miserable state Fairy Tail is in?!" he yelled, "I intend to make the guild strong again!" He shot a blast of lightning at Natsu, who flapped away. Laxus shot a glance at the timer, noticing that only a minute and half remained.

"Is the old fool really choosing to let the town get destroyed?" he said.

"The hell that's going to happen!" Natsu declared, as he flew through the columns, as Laxus shot lightning bolts at him, "What do you have to gain from destroying the town? I know what you really want, you want to stop it yourself!" Hearing that made the air around Laxus surge with electricity.

"Well don't, worry Erza is going to destroy all of them!" He then swooped down at Laxus, as he held up his feet. Dragon claws made out of fire appeared on them, and he clawed at Laxus, who didn't have time to deal with that. Laxus grabbed his burn shoulder, as he glowered up at Natsu, who was perched atop the altar.

"How long do you intend on keeping up this act!" Natsu roared.

"Don't you talk down to me!" Laxus roared right back, "Lighting Orb!" He shot an orb of electricity at Natsu, who beat his wings, and avoided the attack.

"Its time I grounded you!" he declared, "Lightning Web!" Lightning arced through the air, as it shocked Natsu, who fell to the ground. Natsu quickly got up, but remained on all fours, his arms spread out to balance him. He was walking on three fingers, with his remaining two folded back, two spines of the three spined fire wings. Natsu grinned, as he flicked his tongue.

"I'm all fired up now!"

**(with Erza)**

"…197… 198… 199…" Erza let out a gasp, as she fell to her knees. She was using her Heaven's Wheel armor, and was struggling to create as many swords as possible, to strike down the Thunder Palace, but she simply didn't have the strength to do it.

"Damn it!" Erza muttered, "How many of those things are there?" She looked up, and saw the lacrimal beginning to spark as the clock wounded down.

"Come on Scarlet!" she said to herself as she tried to rise to her feet, but found she couldn't, "Come on! You can get more swords! You've got to!"

"_Everyone!"_ Erza abruptly stopped, as she heard a voice.

"Is that…"

"_Everyone who can hear me, stop fighting , and look into the sky!"_

"Warren?" Erza thought.

**(with Lucy)**

The voice stirred Lucy from her rest, as she leaned up.

"What's with this voice in my head?" she asked.

"Its Warren!" Happy said, looking around.

**(around Magnolia)**

People all across the town perked up as they heard Warren's telepathy. A top a building, Warren was using his magic, and spreading his message.

"Those things up there are Laxus' doing!"he explained, "If we don't do something, then they'll attack the town! No time to explain further, just take them out!"

"_Warren, how do you…"_ Erza called.

"Is that Erza!" Gray said, as he held onto Warren's shoulder, and started speaking telepathically as well.

"_Erza, you've been turned back to normal?"_

"_Yes I am, but what are you doing there?"_ Erza asked.

"_I just so happened to bump into Warren," _Gray answered.

"_Don't worry,"_ Mira's voice said_, "We're all okay, everyone's been turned back to normal."_

"_Then that means Levy's okay!" _Jet said.

"_Bisca,"_ Alzack weakly said in relief

"Alright!" Warren said, "I can't contact the guild hall, but everyone that I can needs to target those…"

"_Warren!" _Max called_, "You think I've forgotten what you did to me!"_

"Max!" Warren said frantically, "It wasn't personal or anything, I was just trying to save the girls!"

"_While we're on the subject, Macao, we need to a rematch!"_ Wakaba said.

"_Screw you_," Macao answered_, "I won fair and square!"_

"Will you guys quit all this squabbling!" Gray yelled into Warren's ear.

"_Look who's talking!"_ everyone yelled right back.

"_Enough!"_ Erza called_, "Stop using Warren like a communication lacrima!" _Warren found that statement rather ironic, considering that she had yelled that as well.

"_We can't just haphazardly start shooting them down!"_ Erza explained_, "We'll all get hit by lightning if we do!" _However, nobody was paying attention

**(with Max)**

"I'll deal with you later, Warren!" Max yelled, as he gathered up his sand.

**(with Alzack)**

"Now that Bisca's safe, I don't care what I have to do," Alzack said as he summoned up a sniffer rifle, and took careful aim.

**(with Macao and Wakaba)**

"I'd rather expend my energy on kicking Wakaba's ass," Macao said, "But this is more important!"

"Right back at your purple!" Wake responded.

**(with Lucy)**

"Alright!" Lucy said, pumping her fist, "Let's do this Happy!

"Are you sure Lucy?" Happy asked, "You're still pretty beat up."

"I'm more than sure!" Lucy answered.

**(with Erza)**

"Everyone, target the Eastern ones! I'll take care of the Western one!" Erza said, as she aimed her swords. With that, she, along with everyone else, launched their attacks at the lacrima. One by one, the lacrima broke, but also one by one, the lightning bolts came down, and struck everyone.

While Erza got it worst, she managed to cling to consciousness, as she smiled up.

"You're all bunch of idiots," she said weakly.

"_Pot and kettle Erza," _Gray answered.

**(with Natsu and Laxus)**

_Thunder Palace out of order._

"Told you so," Natsu said with a smirk. Laxus stared in shock and horror. This wasn't supposed to happen.

"When all's said and done, we're all the same," Natsu continued, "How do you think you can become Master if you're outside the group?" Laxus was silent, before he began to shake, and with a bellowing roar that nearly put Natsu's to shame, lighting surged around him.

"Then I'll take the guild by force!" Laxus roared. Natsu held up a wing to block the force.

"Damn it! Just give it up already! You won't get your hands on Fairy Tail!"

"Trust me I will," Laxus said darkly, "But its clear that I was going about it the wrong way. Bargaining couldn't have gotten me anywhere, so…" He then held up his arms, and lightning struck around him.

"I'll just use my own power to destroy my foes!"

"Alright then!" Natsu said, as he opened his wings, "Then I'll just beat that power!" He then jetted at Laxus.

"Fire Dragon's Claw!" Natsu said, as he slashed down, only for Laxus to block it relatively easily.

"Try if you want," Laxus answered with a sneer, as he struck Natsu with lighting, sending the Fire Dragon Slayer flying away, and into a column. Not giving Natsu to the chance to get airborne, Laxus bolted at him, as he kicked Natsu with an electrically charged strike, sending Natsu crashing into the wall. Laxus landed atop the altar, as he looked down at Natsu.

"Why don't you just fly away like the insect you are?" Laxus sneered.

"You're good," Natsu said, ignoring the insult, as he just grinned. Laxus clenched his teeth in frustration, as he held up his fist up. As Natsu tried to get up, a shockwave knocked him back to the ground.

"Resounding through the air, the roar of thunder," Laxus spoke as his fist crackled with electricity, "plunge from the heavens and reap destruction…" The air over Laxus glowed, as lightning surged over him. Knowing what was coming, Natsu folded his wings over him, in hope of defending himself as much as he could.

"Raging Bolt!" A massive strike of electricity came down at Natsu, who closed his eyes and braced himself. There was a flash of light, and when it faded, Laxus didn't see anything where Natsu was.

"Where's that smug attitude now?" Laxus sneered, before bursting out laughing, "And you thought you could beat me?! The strongest man in Fairy Tail!"

"Don't you ever shut up?"

Laxus looked over to the right, and saw Gajeel of all people standing there, holding Natsu by his belt.

"Gajeel?" Natsu asked, looking up.

"You," Laxus muttered.

"I've been looking for a chance to finally settle things with you," Gajeel said, dropping Natsu to the ground. Laxus grinned evilly at Gajeel.

"What stake do you have in this, Iron Dragon?" Laxus said, "Piss off!"

"Yes, you do that," Natsu said he got to his feet, "I'll take on Laxus!" Gajeel glared down at Natsu.

"Don't think this settles or beef, Salamander," he said, "But this guy is very strong. He's Makarov's flesh and blood, and if we want to beat him…"

"Ah crap," Natsu said.

"We're going to have to work together on this one," Gajeel said, with a glare. Natsu glared at his fellow Dragon Slayer.

"Are you kidding?" Natsu said, "Whose the one with Dragon's Eye?!" To illustrate his point, he pointed as his blazing, slitted eye. Gajeel looked jealously at that briefly, before looking back at Laxus.

"This guy has caused more pain and chaos than I've ever seen," he said, "This guy has to be stopped no matter what." Natsu was silent, as he thought about that, before grinning.

"I'd say that there's only room in the sky for one dragon," he said, "But seeing as I'm the only one who can actually fly, I don't think its necessary."

"Doesn't matter," Gajeel said, grinning back, "But with all this lightning, I don't think anyone's flying." Natsu rose to his feet, as he created his wings, and fell to his fours.

"Now let's be clear, this is a one time thing," he said.

"Hell yeah it is!" Gajeel answered, "I hate having to work with you now!"

With that, the two mages shot at Laxus, who just held up his arms, as he withstood the strikes. He then waved his arm, sending an arc of lightning at Natsu, knocking him away, and into Gajeel.

"Use your breath!" Gajeel said. Natsu breathed out his fire, and using that as a boost, Gajeel turned his arm into an iron pole.

"Iron Dragon's Staff!" Gajeel said, as he struck at Laxus, who managed to dodge. As he jumped off, Gajeel turned his leg into a blade.

"Iron Dragon's Blade!" He slashed up, but instead of slashing Laxus, Laxus landed on the tip of Gajeel's blade, and jumped into the air.

"Lighting Gatling!" A multitude of lightning bolts rained down at Gajeel, who was pelted, and knocked away.

However, Laxus, his attention on Gajeel, failed to Natsu as he swooped up next to him.

"Fire Dragon's Blast!" Natsu said, as he shot a massive blast of fire at Laxus, which knocked him back towards the ground.

"Iron Dragon's Lance," Gajeel said as he turned his arm into an iron spear, "Demon Kindling!" He struck multiple times at Laxus, before he hit the ground, and knocking him back.

Natsu's chest lit up, as he inhaled deeply. Gajeel also inhaled.

"Iron Dragon's Roar!"

"Fire Dragon's Roar!" Both Dragon Slayers let out their breath attacks, though Natsu's was ever so slightly stronger. The combined attacks struck at Laxus, creating a massive explosion. The shockwave sent the two careening away. Natsu managed to grab onto a column, while Gajeel skidded to a halt on the floor.

"Did it work?" Natsu asked, steam leaking from his mouth. His chest was still glowing.

"Far from it," Laxus answered. The two Dragon Slayers stared in shock, as Laxus emerged from the dust, his shirt blown off.

"Is that really all you can manage?" Laxus said, "And you call yourselves Dragon Slayers?"

"Damn!" Gajeel said, "How strong is this guy that he can take two massive dragon roars!"

"With one enhanced!" Natsu said. Though what he was doing didn't feel like a Dragon's Roar, it felt like he was just breathing fire, albeit with a lot of power.

"Its nothing that complicated," Laxus said, as his power began to surge, "I had to keep this secret thanks to the old man, but I suppose there's no harm letting you take a look." His teeth sharpened, as his muscles pulsed, and scales began to grow over this body.

"That's…," Natsu muttered.

"He's not…," Gajeel said.

"Lighting Dragon's…"

"He's a Dragon Slayer!" Natsu and Gajeel yelled together.

"Roar!" An enormous blast of lightning struck at the duo. Natsu wrapped himself with his wings, and while he actually managed to avoid the worst of the blast, it still sent him flying. He skidded to a halt, his fire claws raking through the floor. Gajeel, who had no means of defense, was left sprawled on the floor.

"You're still alive?" Laxus growled, as he looked over Natsu. His body began glowing with gold energy.

"You two, Erza, Mystogan, the old man, everyone in Magnolia…," he muttered, before roaring, "You can all go to Hell!" He then held out his hands.

"That power?" Gajeel said.

"That's the old man's!" Natsu said.

Both of them knew what this meant: Fairy Law.

"Laxus stop!" Natsu yelled.

"That techniques targets everyone the user deems their enemy," Gajeel muttered, "If it succeeds…"

The gold energy began to center around Laxus open hands, as his eyes glowed gold as well. It was time he brought this to an end.

"Stop!" Natsu repeated, as he jetted at Laxus, only to bounce off the energy field being formed from the spell.

"Laxus!" Everyone looked towards the door, and saw Levy standing there.

"Levy?" Natsu said.

"The hell are you doing here!" Gajeel yelled.

"Laxus, you have to see the Master!" Levy said. Laxus was silent, he didn't even look up.

"The Master, your grandfather," Levy said slowly, "He's dying!"

Everyone was suddenly silent.

"Please!" Levy begged, tears streaming down her eyes, "Go see him!"

"The old man's…. dying," Natsu said slowly, unable to believe it himself.

"The old man's giving up the ghost, eh?" Laxus said, before grinning, "Well that's just fine. Seems like my chances of becoming Master just increased again!" Levy covered her face as she began to sob. Natsu remained silent.

"You bastard!" Gajeel growled.

"I will destroy everything!" Laxus proclaimed, "And from the ashes, Fairy Tail will arise, greater than ever before! No one will ever defy us again!" He then held up his clenched fists.

"FAIRY LAW!"

There was an enormous flash of light, that quickly consumed all the people there. The light was so great, that could be seen all across the town.

**(with Erza)**

"Is that?" Erza asked. She was still sprawled on the ground, as she watched the light in shock.

**(with Lucy)**

"That's Fairy Law!" Happy said, as he looked on with Lucy. Lucy clenched her fists, before she started running down the street, in the direction of the light. Somehow, she knew that was where Natsu was.

"Lucy!" Happy called.

"I've got to get to Natsu!" Lucy said. _He's done everything for me,_ she thought_, The least I can do, is be there for him!_

**(at the cathedral)**

The light faded. Laxus took a breath, as he looked up.

"At last, my time is…," but he was abruptly silenced, when the dust faded, and he saw everyone still there.

"We're alright?" Levy asked, looking around. Sure enough, everyone was unharmed.

"How… how is this possible?" Laxus said, too shocked to yell.

"Its not just the people here," a familiar voice said. Everyone turned, as Freed limped into the building.

"Freed?" Levy asked.

"No one in the entire town has been harmed," Freed explained, "You're attack failed."

"That can't be!" Laxus exclaimed, "My Fairy Law was completely perfect! All of my enemies were supposed to be destroyed!"

"You may talk a big game," Freed said, "But you're more like the Master than you realize. You've indeed inherited his power, but you've also inherited his heart."

"The spell looked into Laxus' heart," Levy said, "And saw his true nature."

"Fairy Law won't be deceived," Freed said, "This will always be you're true feelings."

"NO!" Laxus bellowed, "I refuse to accept it! I have no friends!"

"Give it up," Freed said, "We've lost, just go and see your grandfather!"

"I refuse!" Laxus answered, "I will not be that man's grandson! I am my own man! I'M LAXUS DREYAR!"

Meanwhile, Natsu slowly rose to his feet. He no longer has his wings.

"Are you so delusional about this?" he asked, "We all know who you are! Being the old man's grandson doesn't matter!"

"Shut up, Natsu!" Laxus roared, as he fired a bolt of lightning, which Natsu managed to avoid. His body was then cloaked in fire.

"Fire Dragon's Wave!" Natsu said as he brought his arms down, sending a curtain of fire at Laxus, who swatted it away.

"Lighting Dragon's Strike!" Laxus launched a bolt of lightning at Natsu, who managed to avoid it. Natsu breathed his fire, which Laxus responded with his Dragon's Roar. The two techniques classed, before creating a large explosion, which sent both fighters flying, and skidding to the floor.

"Natsu!" a female voice called. Natsu whirled around, and saw Lucy running towards the cathedral.

"Lu!" Levy called.

"What's she doing here?" Gajeel said.

"Lucy," Natsu said, smiling at the sight of her. That was when a bolt of lightning lashed out, but it didn't strike Natsu. Instead, it struck Lucy.

"Lucy!" Levy cried out.

"Bunny Girl!" Gajeel said.

"Why did you do that, Laxus!" Freed yelled, "She didn't have anything to do with this!"

"She was interfering in my fight," Laxus said, "I'm done with all this crap! I'm just going to end this now!" He then turned to look at Natsu, who was standing perfectly still. Laxus took advantage of this, and struck Natsu with another blast of lightning, sending Natsu crashing into the wall.

"Natsu!" Freed and Levy, who was at Lucy's side, cried out. Laxus just laughed madly.

**(in Natsu's mind)**

_Natsu was standing in a volcanic landscape, the air thick with smoke._

"_Lucy," he murmured._

"_**Give in."**__ Natsu could hear the rumbling voice again. He turned, and saw a towering shape moving through the smoke. The shape had a long neck, with glowing eyes, a crown of horns framing the end of its long heads. As it moved, Natsu noticed that it was walking on what looked like wings, in a similar way to the where Natsu would walk with Dragon's Eye, and saw a long tail lash out behind it. _

_It was a dragon._

"_Who are you?" Natsu asked._

"_**I am the one who can give you strength," **__the dragon spoke, as it moved through the smoke, turning its head to Natsu, its eyes glowing fiercely__**, "I am the one who can destroy all your enemy! All you must do, is give into the fire!"**_

"_Give in?" Natsu echoed._

"_**Yes, if you do, your enemy will burn!" **_

"_But Laxus is my comrade," Natsu said firmly, "I won't do that to a comrade!"_

"_**And yet he strikes down the one for whom you care," **__the dragon answered__**, "Fire is destruction! Fire is rage! Embrace that power! Protect her!"**_

"_Protect her…"_

**(outside Natsu's mind)**

"Protect…. her," Natsu whispered as he slowly rose from the rubble, his chest flaring up, "I will… protect…. her…"

"_**Yes, give into the fire!"**_

Natsu let out a bellowing roar so loud, Freed and Levy had to cover their ears. Natsu was then cloaked in fire, as he brought of his wings, and fell to his hands, on three fingers again. On his feet, his shoes burned away, A long tail made out of fire, shot out of his back, as a few spines went down Natsu's back, and fire horns framed his head. In his mouth, his teeth all turned into serrated fangs. He then opened his wings, as he took to the air. He then dove back down at Laxus.

"YOU WILL BURN!" Natsu roared, as bared his claws at Laxus.

"Disappear!" Laxus responded, as he summoned up massive blast of electricity at Natsu. When the light faded, Natsu was still coming at him.

"Wha…," Natsu abruptly silenced him by grabbing Laxus' face in with his claws, and slamming him into the ground. He then beat his wings, and took the air, erupting through the ceiling. With that, he began soaring down the streets, soaring close the ground, as he slammed Laxus' into the roof, and dragging him off it.

Laxus let out grunts of pain, before holding up his fist, and blasting Natsu off of him. This surprised Natsu, and caused him to lose his grip. Laxus tumbled across the roof, as he skidded to a halt. He got up, and glared Natsu, who was flying past him.

"Lighting Dragon's Roar!" Laxus let out his Dragon's Roar at Natsu, who easily dodged, and swooped down at Laxus. As he was passing over, Natsu he loosed his fire, as Laxus held up his hands to try and block, but was consumed in the fire. He emerged from the smoke, fallen to one knee.

"What the hell's going on!" he yelled, "How did he get this strong!"

But Natsu wasn't done. He swooped back down, and slashed Laxus across the chest with his claws. Laxus let out a yell of pain, as he grabbed the three wounds on his chest. Natsu had pierced his scales. He looked up, as Natsu circled overhead, before diving back down.

"Take this, Salamander!" Laxus yelled, as he gathered his lightning, "Lighting Dragon's Holy Arrow!" He then blasted one of his most powerful attacks at Natsu, which took the form of a long spear. Natsu responded, but holding up his fist, and slamming into the lighting bolt, knocking it away.

From below, the other's watched, with Gajeel over Levy's shoulder, with Lucy being carried by Freed.

"I knew Natsu was strong, but this…," Levy said in awe, "I've never seen power like this!"

"Is this the power that tore through my barriers?" Freed asked slowly. Natsu then swooped down at Laxus, and grabbed in by the shoulder. But then he did something nobody anticipated.

Natsu sunk his teeth into Laxus' shoulder. Laxus let out a roar of pain, as Natsu's teeth pierced his scales, and his flesh.

"What is he doing?!" Gajeel said, weakly looking up.

"Natsu!" Levy called.

"Nat… su," Lucy said, as she slowly regained consciousness. Natsu then took to the air, Laxus still in his teeth, and soared upwards, before diving back down, and slamming Laxus straight into the road.

When the dust cleared, it revealed and unconscious Laxus, completely defeated. Natsu reared over him, his tail lashing out. His hand was on Laxus chest, and everyone there noticed that his fingers had changed. His three finger he walked on were coated in red scales, and sharp, black claws began to jut out of them. His ring and pinky finger were longer and thiner, and were now more prominently held back. There were even traces of webbing in between them. Natsu held up his hand and opened his mouth, as his chest lit up.

"Natsu! No!" Levy cried.

"You'll kill him!" Freed said. Gajeel managed to launch himself from Levy somehow, and he held up his hands.

"Iron Dragon Restraints!" Two restraints formed from his hand, and pinned Natsu's hands to the ground.

"Damn it Salamander!" Gajeel yelled, "Have you gone completely psycho!" Natsu was silent for time, as he looked towards Gajeel. His tail then lashed out, and knocked Gajeel away.

"Gajeel!" Levy called, as the Iron Dragon Slayer crashed to the ground.

"He's lost it!" Gajeel said, "You have to stop him!" Natsu turned his attention back to Laxus.

"You… hurt… Lucy," he growled, "And now…" He then got ready to breath his fire, as the glow came to his neck, and his mouth. Everyone cried out, as Gajeel tried to move to them again.

"Natsu!" Natsu closed his mouth just as his fire was coming out. He turned, and saw Lucy crawling towards him.

"Lucy," he muttered. He then slowly moved off Laxus, and towards her, still crawling on all fours. Lucy rose to her knees, and held out her arms. Natsu's Dragon's Eye faded, as did his fire cloak, as the scales he had disappeared, and his fingers turned back to normal. He then passed out, and fell into Lucy's arms.

Everyone was completely still, as Natsu rested in Lucy's embrace.

**Note: First of all, sorry for not giving Gajeel a bigger role, but I wanted this scene to showcase Natsu at both his best, and his worst, so I felt the sacrifice was necessary. I hope you all liked this ending to the fight. It wasn't easy to come up with.**

**It seems Natsu may have a darker side to him, and that dragon within him as something to do with it. Be sure to review. This is easily the longest chapter I've written in a while.**


	12. Fantasia

_**Fantasia**_

The next day, when the town managed to calm down, and began the appropriate repairs, much to the townspeople frustration.

"What the hell happened with Fairy Tail?" one guy asked, "Why was the Fantasia parade postponed to today?"

"Something about one of their brawls, though this one was bigger than usual," one of his friends answered.

"Its Fairy Tail, what's to be expected?"

"There's something about their Master being ill," a third guy said.

"Really?"

"Yeah, that guy is pretty old. Maybe he should retire. Of course that would leave the guild to Laxus."

"Ah yeah, remember when he was a kid?"

"Yeah. Man I hate thinking about that, it makes us seem old."

Overhearing this, Porlyusica took a breath, as she smiled lightly, and continued her departure from the town.

**(at Fairy Tail)**

"With all due thanks to Porlyusica, the Master will be making a complete recovery!" Erza announced. Everyone cheered in response.

"Boy, am I glad to hear that," Lucy said, wiping her brow, "I was really worried there."

"It will take a lot to put that man under," Gray said, "He's tougher than nails."

"Be that as it may," Erza said, "The years are catching up to him, and we need to remember that."

"Can we really do the parade though?" Elfman asked, "We aren't in that good of shape."

"The Master wants us to keep at it," Mirajane said, "We need this, though its a shame that Freed, Bixlow, and Evergreen won't be in it. They're always one of the best parts."

"Juvia's really excited to see it!" Juvia piped up.

"I'm afraid you aren't going to be watching, sister," Cana said, with a mischievous grin "You're going to be part of it!"

"Really?!" Juvia cried out, "But Juvia just joined the guild!"

"A lot of people are hurt," Happy said, "We've got to get everyone who can walk in this."

"You mean me too?" Lucy asked, surprised.

"You know it!"

Lucy let out a yelp as Natsu slung his arm around her shoulders. He was bandaged up, but no more than Erza, something others found strange.

"Natsu, what are you doing?" Mirajane said, "You need to be resting!" Natsu just grinned.

"I feel fine," he said, "My Dragon's Eye does me wonders!"

"Believe it or not, there's some credibility to that," Erza said, "After his fight with Jellal, he was back on his feet the next day. I don't what it is, but Dragon's Eye protects him from damage, and increases his rate of healing."

"That's fine with me!" Natsu said, with a laugh, "Means I can be in the parade! Unlike that wimp!" He jerked his thumb over at the much more heavily bandaged Gajeel.

"Shove it up your ass, Salamander!" Gajeel grumbled.

"Come on, Gajeel," Levy said, leaning over with a smile, "You can do it next year!"

"Who the hell says I even want to be in this damn parade!" Gajeel yelled with frustration. Levy just giggled at that.

"They liiiike each other," Happy said. Gajeel would've hit Happy in the face, but he didn't have the strength.

"What are you going to do?" Lucy asked Natsu.

"I've got a float of my own," Natsu said, "Just you wait, it'll blow you away!"

"Let's take solace, though, in knowing our trouble is over for now," Erza said with a smile. As if on cue, the doors slammed open. Everyone turned, as Laxus strolled right in. He was bandaged up as well.

"Laxus!"

"Where's the Master?" Laxus calmly asked.

"The hell are you doing here!"

"You think we're going to let you see the Master?!"

"Get out before we kick you out!"

"Enough!" Erza ordered, silencing everyone, before turning to Laxus, "He's in the infirmary. You know where it is." Laxus nodded, as he started walking, as everyone slowly parted.

"Laxus!" Natsu yelled, as he jumped in front of him, "Don't think that fight meant the end of everything! My Dragon's Eye made the match lopsided! Let's fight one on one!"

"Isn't he satisfied, now?" Lucy asked, "He won didn't he."

"I wouldn't necessarily say that," Gajeel responded, "If not for Salamander going crazy, there's no way he would've won. Its a good thing Laxus wasn't during the Phantom Lord fiasco, I don't think I'd be hear right now."

Laxus walked right past him, and as he did, he put his hand on Natsu's shoulder. Natsu was abruptly silenced, as he watched Laxus walk away. Erza took a breath.

"Well enough of that," she said, "Come on! We've got a parade to put in!" Everyone cheered loudly at that.

**(in the infirmary)**

"I'll never understand why they are like that," Laxus said.

"You don't need to," Makarov answered, as he lay in bed. He then sat up, and looked towards his grandson.

"Laxus, look at me," he instructed. Laxus did as he was told.

"Tell me, do you know what a guild was?" Makarov asked.

"No, I suppose I don't," Laxus answered.

"A guild is a place where people work together. Where children with no family can find said family," Makarov explained solemnly, "It can never belong to a single person, much less you. This guild was built on trust, camaraderie, and honor, and through that, we have formed bonds that has no comparison. And what you did today, was to spit on all of that! Do you understand?" Laxus was silent, as he listened intently to Makarov's speech, before looking down.

"I understand," Laxus answered. He looked at his hand, and made a fist.

"I guess in my twisted mind, I thought I was really doing good by the guild," he explained, "All I really wanted to do was make the guild stronger." Makarov sighed, as he hopped off his bed.

"You're impossible," he said with a smile, "You need to let some of the stuff off your shoulders. Take some time off, and gather your thoughts, that's what life is sometimes for." Laxus just looked at Makarov carefully, as his grandfather's gaze fell to the floor.

"But you know I can't let what you did go unpunished," he said.

"I do," Laxus answered. Makarov's fist clenched as he took a deep breath, and finally spit it out.

"Laxus, you are hereby excommunicated!"

For what felt like an eternity, grandfather and grandson just stared at each other. Laxus closed his eyes, took a breath, and opened them again.

"Can you do one thing for me?" he asked. He took Makarov's silence as approval.

"Let the Thunder Legion off the hook," Laxus said, "They were only following after me. I don't really think any of them truly liked what they were doing anyway." He smiled softly.

"And let them be in the parade," he said, "Remind them where their home is." Makarov looked at Laxus, before sighing again.

"I suppose there' son harm in that," he said, "I always did enjoy the show they put on." Laxus nodded.

"Very well," he said, before turning around, "I'll go now." With that he began to leave the room. Makarov turned to the window, not wanting to watch.

"Grandpa," Laxus said as he left, "Thanks." Makarov teared up at those words.

"Just get out!" he forced out.

**(later in the day)**

"That's crap!"

"Crap! Crap!"

"There's no way we can let you leave!"

Laxus had told his ever loyal legion about his excommunication, and needles to say, they weren't taking it well.

"Its not like its my choice," Laxus said, "But the old man's orders are orders."

"If you really are leaving, then we're leaving to!" Evergreen cried.

"Yeah, I've got no reason to stay if you're not here," Bixlow said. All this time, Freed remained silent.

"Don't kid yourself," Laxus said with a smile. The Thunder Legion looked at him in surprise.

"You're more attached to this guild and everyone here far more than you are willing to let on," Laxus continued, "Unlike you, I've got no stake left in this place."

"So you're taking all the blame yourself," Freed muttered, clenching his fists.

"If that's what you want to believe, have fun, but its not the case," Laxus answered, as he slung his bag over his shoulder.

"We'll go talk with the Master!" Bixlow said.

"Gray and Natsu too!" Evergreen chimed in, "They respect you, they'll agree!" Laxus just chuckled as he began walking away.

"Take care," he said, as he waved, "And have fun in the parade!" As Bixlow and Evergreen voiced more of their objections and pleas, Freed remained silent. He knew that this was for the best when all was said and done.

"Don't get worked up," he said to his teammates as he looked up, "No doubt we'll see him again soon enough." The other two looked at him, before silencing themselves.

"Come on!" Freed said gesturing, "Let's get back to the guild and set up our float."

**(that evening)**

With a massive show of fireworks, the parade began. The people of Magnolia were assembled along the streets, as the floats began marching down.

At the head was a float on which Lucy, Levy, and Bisca stood, in short skirts, waving flags that read "Fairy Tail". Behind them, was a float with Cana, who threw her cards into the air, which flashed into letters, spelling out "Fairy Tail". The other guild members each showed their own float, each one celebrating their own form of magic.

On Gray and Juvia's float, the two were dressed royally. Gray nodded to Juvia, who smiled, and helped up her hands, creating a massive torrent of water. Gray grinned, as he held up his hands, freezing all the water, forming a brilliant castle of water.

On the Strauss sibling's float, was Elfman in his Beast Soul form. Behind him, a box opened revealing Mirajane. Everyone cheered at that, only for it to abruptly turn into cries of disgust, when Mirajane to turn into a giant lizard.

After them, came the Thunder Legion's float. Each one of them was in a flashy costume (save for Bixlow, since his outfit was flashy enough already). Freed brought up different runes that formed intricate light shows; Bixlow's dolls danced around; Evergreen used her Fairy Dust to flash

Closer to the end, was Erza's float. Erza was wearing an outfit that was both showy, and showing. Her swords spun around in show, as she spun around.

Finally, at the end, was a float with a huge red dragon on it. Framing the dragon were a multitude of flaming cauldrons. Standing atop the float, was Natsu (his bandages off) dressed in an intricate dragon costume, complete with wings, a tail, and horns; he even had on red body paint and makeup. At the dragon model's feet, was Happy, dressed in knight armor.

"Aye!" Happy said.

With an excited grin, Natsu stood up, and sucked in. The fire from the cauldrons was sucked into his mouth, and Natsu puffed his chest out showing his glowing chest, and breathed his fire into the air in a show. The fire then formed into the letters "Fairy Tail", as everyone cheered.

_So that is what Natsu had in mind, _Lucy thought, as she looked over her shoulder, and watched Natsu's float. She had to admit she was impressed. But what Lucy didn't see coming was Natsu's addition to the show.

Happy picked up Natsu, and then carried the madly grinning Dragon Slayer to the head of the parade.

"What's he…," Lucy began, but then Natsu suddenly grabbed her, and with a shriek, Lucy was lifted into the air.

"Natsu, what're you doing?!" she cried. Everyone else in the parade laughed at Natsu's antics.

"I told you the parade will blow away!" Natsu answered, smiling at Lucy, as he landed on the top of the float, and loudly said, "Behold, I, the fearsome dragon, have taken the princess hostage! Who challenges me to save her?!" Erza deciding to play along, jumped form her parade onto the same level as Natsu.

"Release her, foul serpent!" Erza said dramatically, pointing one of her swords at Natsu, before saying to Lucy, "Fear not fair maiden! For I will save you!"

"Don't encourage him!" Lucy yelled.

"Never!" Natsu said, as he smiled at Erza. With that, he breathed fire at Erza, who blocked it easy. Everyone laughed and cheered at their antics, and even Lucy couldn't help but laugh as well.

From the crowd, Mystogan watched in silence.

Laxus watched from the side, as he smiled. He then took a breath, as he turned to leave, memories flooding back about when he was a child.

_(Flashback)_

"_Why aren't you part of the parade?" a young Laxus asked, "You're always the best part!"_

"_Why would I need to be in it?" Makarov asked, "This is your time in the sun after all."_

"_But how am I going to see you?" Laxus asked._

"_Oh I don't know, but rest assured I'll be there," Makarov answered._

"_I've got an idea!" Laxus piped up, beholding up his index finger and thumb, "When I'm in the parade, I'll hold up my finger, and that will show you that no matter what happens, I'll always be able to see you!" Makarov teared up at that._

"_Atta boy!" _

_(End Flashback)_

Laxus then turned around, and began walking away. That was when heard even greater cheering. He turned, and saw Makarov's float coming down the street, and raised into the air, was Makarov's finger.

Soon enough, everyone else in the guild, even Lucy (who mind you was still in Natsu's grip), also held their finger up. Even the crowd held up their fingers. At the sight of that, tears began to form in Laxus' eyes.

"Grandpa," he said slowly. He then turned away, and began his new journey.

_No matter what_ Makarov thought _No matter how far your road takes you, I will always be looking in your direction, Laxus._

_I know, _Laxus thought _Thank you, for everything._ With that, Laxus walked away, to wherever his feet decided to take him. Behind him, the parade marched on, as everyone cheered loudly.

However, one man was not cheering. He watched from the back, in complete silence. He was wearing a blue, carved mask, with a hood and cloak. The Masked Man just remained silent, as he watched the celebration continue. He then hiked up his hood slightly more, as he turned, and melded back into he shadows.

**Note: I was annoyed that Natsu couldn't get his own big float or anything during the parade. He just got a few fire cauldrons and he had to walk down the street (while wounded), so I decided to give him this. I actually had two ideas for what to do with the parade, so I went with this. Maybe if you're all interested enough, I'll post a short alternate scene, featuring the other idea I had in a future chapter.**

**The next chapter won't begin the Oracion Seis arc, I'm going to do short arc of my own, an arc I hope you'll all like.**

**I said a few chapters ago that I intended to carry over some features from EOTBD. The Masked Man was one of them I decided to use.**


	13. Blaze of Fear

_**Blaze of Fear**_

When Lucy had woken up, she was intent on taking another stab at her novel, hoping that maybe the recent events could provide some inspiration. But she was completely sapped for ideas.

"OH!" Lucy moaned as she stretched out, "Why is writing is so hard!" She stared at the ceiling in silence, as she thought of all that happened. To occupy her mind, she decided to write more letters to her mother.

_Its been two weeks since the Festival. We've all since recovered fully from our battle, and so as the town, though needless to say, more than a few complaints were filed. Something that came not long after, was the news of Laxus' excommunication. Needless to say, Natsu wasn't happy about that…. _

_(Flashback)_

"_Whaddya mean Laxus has been excommunicated!" Natsu roared._

"_Exactly what I said," Makarov answered calmly._

"_But I'm supposed to fight again!" Natsu whined as he waved his fists around angrily, "He was our comrade! We can't let him go!"_

"_Natsu!" Erza yelled, grabbing Natsu's shoulder, silencing him, "Think about this from the Master's perspective!" Natsu, though he probably wanted to protest, didn't say anything, as he stood down._

_(End Flashback)_

_It was really hard on the Master in hindsight. He almost quit, though we all managed to convince him of otherwise. I can only imagine what he must have been going through at the time. It does make me wonder where things are going to from here._

Lucy stopped writing, as she paused, thinking if there was anything else she had left to write.

"Natsu," she mumbled. In a list of things she'd only really thought about slightly, the "L" word was among them. The list of potential boyfriends for her did exist, but by her own confession, Natsu wasn't that high on the list. But now….

"I can't think about this!" Lucy declared, standing up, leaving, and heading to the guild.

When she arrived, she headed for the table where her teammates were.

"Good morning!" she said, waving.

"Good morning, Lucy!" Erza said. Lucy noticed she was polishing her swords, but only after she saw the two huge pile of swords besides her. Erza set the sword she finished polishing in one pile, pulled another sword from the other pile, and started polishing that one.

"What's up?" Lucy asked, sitting next to Erza. Gray let out a loud yawn, as he stared at the ceiling.

"Nothing's happening," he lamented, "Why isn't anything happening?"

"You and Juvia can do something!" Juvia piped up, as she came up next to him.

"I don't have the energy to deal with you now," Gray said.

"During the festival season we get fewer job requests, you know that," Erza said, not looking up from polishing one of her sword. She studied it briefly, before scratching off a small spot.

"We should be getting more requests soon enough," she continued. She placed the sword she was done with in the pile.

"Well maybe…," Lucy began.

"Maybe! Maybe!"

"Was that…," Lucy began.

"Yo! Cosplay Girl!" Bixlow said as he materialized behind Lucy, who let out a yelp.

"Why are you still calling me that?!" Lucy yelled.

"So are you and Loke a thing?" Bixlow said teasingly, sticking out his tongue.

"No! Of course not!" Lucy yelled.

"That's because she's with Natsu!" Happy said with a grin as he jumped onto Bixlow's shoulder.

"So you're with Natsu, eh?" Bixlow said, smiling as he strolled away, "We're going to get a lot mileage off this, aren't we babies?"

"We are! We are!" the dolls answered. Lucy moaned as she put her hand on the table.

In an ironic twist, with the fighting done, the Thunder Legion reintegrated themselves into the guild almost flawlessly. The way they were interacting with everyone, you'd think nothing had happened.

Over in one corner, Evergreen could be seen posing for Reedus as he painted her.

"I expect to get all the royalties for this!" she said. Over at the quest board, was Freed, with Nab next to him.

"Could you please move?" Freed said to Nab, "You're blocking everyone else!"

"I'm looking for the exact job!" Nab answered, "You never know what you might find!"

"Advice from a guild mate, at the rate you're going, you may find a fist from someone," Freed said.

After Bixlow and Happy brought up Natsu, that made Lucy notice that the Fire Dragon Slayer isn't here.

"Where _is_ Natsu, anyway?" she asked.

"He told me go ahead of him," Happy answered as he floated to the table, "He needed to do some training." Erza abruptly stopped her polishing swords, as she waved her hand, and all her swords faded away.

"I've actually been worried about him," Erza said.

"How so?" Happy asked. Erza narrowed, and averted her eyes.

"During the battle, I saw a side of him I've never seen before," she explained, "He wasn't himself, he was something different, something monstrous." She then looked to Lucy.

"Is it true?"

"Is what true?" Erza was silent. She didn't want to actually say those words, they felt so wrong on her tongue.

"During the fight, did Natsu really bite into Laxus' shoulder?" she whispered, only so that the people at the table could hear.

A silence reverberated across the table, as those words sunk in. Lucy was silent as she stared at the table. She was only partially conscious when it happened, but it was something she remembered as clear as day. She only nodded.

"My god," Gray said, leaning back.

"Juvia always thought Natsu was kind of violent," Juvia said, "But she never thought he was that violent."

"No!" Happy yelled, as he clenched his paws, "Natsu wouldn't do that!"

"Happy…," Erza began.

"No!" Happy yelled, "I won't believe it!" He then flew out the door.

"I'll go get him, and I'll check on Natsu too," Lucy said, as she got up, before looking back, "Who else knows?"

"Just us, the Master, Freed, Gajeel, and Levy," Erza said, "The Master's making us all keep it a secret, since he's worried it might make people afraid of Natsu."

"And it might be for good cause," Gray commented.

"Gray!" Erza scolded.

"I call it like I see it," Gray said, "And as things stand, Natsu isn't acting the way he should, and that means he may be dangerous."

"I'll find out!" Lucy said, as she ran after Happy. The others watched as she ran out.

"She won't get hurt, will she?" Juvia asked.

"Of all the people who Natsu would hurt, Lucy is the last person," Erza answered, "We don't have to worry about that."

**(with Lucy)**

Eventually, Lucy caught up with Happy.

"Where are you going?" she asked.

"To me and Natsu's house," Happy explained, "I'm going to go get Natsu, and show everyone that he's not dangerous!"

"I believe you," Lucy said, "And I'm going to come with you and help!" _Maybe I can use the location of Natsu's house to take revenge someday_ she mischievously thought.

However, she also thought about what happened when Natsu bit Laxus. Erza was right, when she said that wasn't Natsu, but Lucy also saw what happened when Natsu saw her conscious again. She managed to calm him, if only barely, and so, Lucy was confident she could get through to him.

Eventually, they came up to a small cottage a top of a hill.

"He's up here!" Happy said, as he lead Lucy up a hill next to the house. Up there, was a training area, with a series of fighting posts, with a multitude of picture of different members of the guild, such as Erza, Gray, Gajeel, and Laxus. In the center of the training, was Natsu, who was sitting crosslegged, fire swirling around him, his eyes closed.

"Natsu!" Happy called. Natsu opened his eyes, and smiled.

"Happy! Lucy!" he said, jumping to his feet, "What're you doing here?"

"Natsu…," Lucy began.

"People are saying your dangerous!" Happy yelled, as he flew up to Natsu.

"Dangerous?" Natsu asked, before grinning, "Hell yeah I'm dangerous!"

"Natsu!" Lucy scolded. Natsu stopped grinning, as he walked over to Lucy.

"I'm only dangerous to our enemies," he said, "Not to our friends!" Lucy frowned.

"People are really worried about you," she explained, "Since you bit into Laxus' shoulder…." She shook her head.

"That Dragon's Eye is changing you!" Lucy said, "Its like its turning you into something monstrous!" Natsu listened to her explanation, before taking a breath, and putting his hand on Lucy's shoulder.

"I know you're worried," he said, "But trust me, you don't have to be. I've got complete control over it!"

"That didn't seem to be the case during the fight with Laxus!" Lucy said.

"That was one time," Natsu said.

"And what's preventing it from turning into two times, or three times, or a hundred times!" Lucy said, clenching her fist. Natsu frowned, as he walked back into the center.

"I'll show you what I can do, now!" he said, "I promise you I can control it!" He then held up his head, and the fire surged around him. Lucy instinctively took a step back.

"Eye of the Fire Dragon!" Natsu said, as the fire concentrated into his eye, and his Dragon's Eye lit up. He then held up his arms, summoned his wings, and took a fighting stance, and fire surged around him. Natsu, however twisted fire around using his hand, forming a small orb out of all that fire.

"See? I can do anything with these!" he said, smiling, holding up the orb.

"Isn't it uncomfortable to hold your fingers like that?" Lucy asked, noting the way two of Natsu's fingers bent back. Natsu looked at them briefly, before shrugging.

"Not really," he said, "Actually it feels pretty natural. But watch this!" Natsu then took to the air, beating his wings, still holding the fire orb, as he flew around briefly.

"That's really neat…," Lucy tried to say.

"I've even got a tail!" Natsu said, as he lashed his long fire tail, "It may be made out of fire, but it feels like its really there!" He then smiled broadly.

"Its like I'm really a dragon!" he said, as he flew around, "This power is… awesome!"

"Natsu!" Lucy yelled, but Natsu was too focused on his flying to notice. He did a series of intricate tricks.

"You're so cool, Natsu!" Happy said.

"And now the finale!" Natsu said, as he hovered, and held up the fire orb.

"Natsu!" Lucy yelled again, but it was too late, as Natsu threw it down. It created a massive explosion of fire. Lucy tired to move back, but she was too late.

She let out a pained cry, as the fire knocked back. Natsu froze, as he looked down, hearing Lucy's cry of pain.

"Lucy!" Happy cried, as he flew over to where Lucy was lying. Lucy was holding on to her arm, sniffling. Her left arm had been burned.

"Lucy!" Natsu said, as he landed, and tired to move over to where Lucy was lying. However, he stopped, when Happy looked at him. His beloved companion, looked… scared.

"Natsu," Happy said slowly, "Ar you… dangerous?"

"No! I… But… Lucy…," Natsu struggled to find the words, before opening his fire wings, and flapping away.

"Natsu!" Happy called, going to go after him, but then he remembered Lucy. So deciding to prioritize, Happy picked up Lucy, and flew her back to the guild, as Natsu flew into the mountains.

**Note: Oh dear. Natsu getting overzealous with his power could be expected, but hurting Lucy? Needless to say, this is going to cause some conflict with Natsu, something I'm looking forward to writing for next chapter.**

**Wasn't anticipating updating this quickly, but I was on such a roll, I couldn't resist. Sorry this chapter wasn't as long as the others, but I thought this was an appropriate place to cut off.**

**I am aware that this is similar to Aang and Katara from "Avatar", but it was so good, I had to give it a go.**


	14. I See Fire

_**I See Fire**_

Happy had managed to carry Lucy back to Fairy Tail, where Porlyusica was brought in immediately to treat Lucy's burns. Everyone was assembled in the guild, waiting for news on her. The only one who was allowed to be in their with Lucy was Happy.

"Hang in there, Lucy!" Happy said, as he floated over Lucy.

"Move," Porlyusica said, as she mixed something, "I can't have anybody in my way."

**(outside the infirmary)**

"I really hope Lu's going to be okay," Levy said nervously.

"Porlyusica said that her burn isn't too severe, but she may end up having some scars," Cana said, as she stared at her beer mug, too nervous to actually drink.

"Why would Natsu do this?" Mirajane said worriedly.

"Of course he wouldn't," Macao said, "That's not who Natsu is."

"But Lucy didn't get burned from nothing," Wakaba responded. There was a silence reverberating across the guild, as that sunk in. They all knew Natsu would never willingly hurt anyone in the guild, with Lucy being particularly low on the list.

"Where is Natsu?!" Erza demanded, slamming her fist into her hand, "I'm going to punish him like I've never punished him before!"

"And I'm going to help you!" Gray said, as his clenched his own fist, "Its high time that guy was taken down a peg!"

"This could give me a good excuse to family lay a beating on Salamander!" Gajeel said with a grin.

"Gajeel!" Levy scolded.

"What?" Gajeel answered.

"Enough!" Everyone turned to see Makarov sitting on the bar, his arms folded, and his head hung.

"At this point, what Natsu's going through on his own is more painful than any punishment that you can deal to him."

**(in the mountains near Magnolia)**

There was a cave, somewhere deep within the mountains, that was inaccessible by foot. But if one had wings…

Natsu sat in the cave, curled up, his head in his hands, as he breathed heavily, fire leaking out of his mouth with each breath. Flaring around him was a curtain of fire, as his Dragon's Eye still glowed bright. But Natsu wasn't paying attention to any of this. His entire mind was on one thing, he had sworn never to day: he had hurt Lucy.

He had always cared about all the people in the guild, but there was something about Lucy. Something was special about her, giving Natsu an emotion he never felt again. One he didn't fully understand. And yet he had hurt her.

"I'm not dangerous…," he mumbled, "I'm not a monster…" But Natsu could hear something, in the back of his mind. Something growling. As he listened, the rest of the world fell away from around him.

**(in Natsu's mind)**

_Natsu was suddenly standing in the volcanic land again, on his knees._

"_I'm not dangerous!" he repeated loudly, "I'm not a monster! Lucy, I'm sorry!"_

"_**That is not true," **__a familiar voice called out. Natsu looked up, and saw the dragon from before, but this time, it wasn't hidden the smoke, and Natsu saw it in full._

_The dragon had red scales, like Igneel, but that was were the similarities ended. It was built like a massive snake, with a long neck, and a tail that was at least twice the length of its body. Framing its long head were a crown of horns, and running down its back were plated armor, and a series of scales coating its neck and chest, save for a scar on its neck. One that was eerily similar to Natsu's scar on his own neck._

"_**You are dangerous," **__the dragon said, as it crawled towards Natsu, grabbing and maneuvering across the rocks__**, "Fire is dangerous. But that is not weakness! That is strength!"**_

"_Who are you?" Natsu asked, the same question he asked when he first saw the dragon._

"_**I suppose you can know it now. In the strictest of terms, I'm you,"**__ the dragon responded._

"_What?" Natsu asked, "But…"_

"_**I am what you could be,"**__ it explained__**, "If you stop fighting the power you have. If you let it go, and allow you're true strength to emerge."**_

"_My true strength?"_

"_**Do not feign ignorance,"**__ the dragon growled__**, "You know of what I speak. You experienced it, and you saw what you were capable of."**__ An image appeared in the smoke, as Natsu saw his battle with Laxus, as he sunk his teeth into Laxus' shoulder._

"_But I can't hurt Lucy!" Natsu said, shaking his head, "And I don't want her to be afraid of me!"_

"_**Why would you not desire that? Fear is power."**_

"_Because Lucy's my friend!" Natsu yelled. He knew she was more of that, and chances are, the dragon did as well._

"_And if power has to be taken from fear, then I don't want power!"_

"_**They should be afraid of you!"**__ the dragon roared. Natsu looked up. Suddenly, he was a child again, no older than when Igneel left._

"_But they're… they're my friends," Natsu said, "Nobody was supposed to be afraid of me!"_

"_**What are they, lowly humans, compared to you?"**__the dragon continued__**, "Insects, that is what! They fear you because they know you are stronger than them."**_

_Natsu turned, and saw a new image in the smoke, as he saw people bowing, including all the members of Fairy Tail. _

"_**You can rule them as a King, nay, a god,"**__ the dragon said, as it circled Natsu like a snake__**, "Embrace your true power! Embrace the fear that they hold for you! And you will be unstoppable!" **__Natsu watched as the smoke cleared away, and he saw that all the members were bowing before him. Natsu covered his face, he didn't want to see that._

"_I'm not a monster! I'm not a monster!" he cried, tears streaming through his fingers._

"_**Stop denying who you are! Clasp your true nature in both your claws. You're weakness has been the result of you denying it. You are a monster, and monsters are powerful."**_

"_I'm… I'm…," Natsu stuttered, as he grabbed his head, and continued crying._

**(in the real world)**

Natsu, on his knees, with tears dripping down his face. The fire was surging around him, and threw the cave. He held up his head up, as his Dragon's Eye's power surged. Scales slowly began to form on Natsu's arms, as his teeth sharpened, his three fingers began to turn to claws, while his remaining two lengthened out, with webbing in between them. Tiny horns began to poke through his hair.

**(in the mental world)**

"_**Yes!" **__the dragon hissed, as it slithered closer, looming over Natsu darkly__**, "Now tell me, what do you see?"**_

_The young Natsu just stared into the smoke, as the image in the smoke changed. No longer was everyone bowing to Natsu, they were bowing to the dragon. The land, and buildings were burning, as burnt bodies lay littered across the dirt. Lucy was in the dragon's talons, her eyes closed, as if she were asleep._

"_I see fire," Natsu answered slowly, "Nothing but fire, burning the land."_

"_**That is the true nature of power," **__the dragon said menacingly__**, "There is fire, and there those who turn to ash. You are fire, all others turn to ash in your path!"**__ With that, he reared over Natsu, his chest glowing, and he struck forward._

_At that exact moment, there was a surge of fire from a different source, that caused the dragon to flap back in response. Natsu looked in that direction, and then he heard the voice._

"_**BEGONE FROM HERE!" **__a very familiar voice roared__**, "THIS BOY DOES NOT BELONG TO YOU!**__ Natsu stared in shock, as a familiar shape formed through the fire._

"_Igneel," he whispered in awe._

_The great fire dragon stood tall, his wings spread, and his teeth bared at the other dragon. The other dragon saw Igneel, and slowly retreated back, away from Natsu._

"_**You," **__the four legged dragon hissed, as he glared at Igneel._

"_**I told you begone!"**__ Igneel repeated__**, "Leave this boy and his loved ones be! They are not yours to take! For you are but a worm! A worm that crawls on its belly, working its way into the minds of others! And for that, I grant you this name: Smaug! A name of disgrace, and one you deserve! Now I will say one last time: begone!"**__ The dragon just glowered back at Igneel, before slowly backing off, and taking to the air, disappearing into the smoke. But Natsu wasn't paying attention to the newly christened Smaug, all his attention was on Igneel._

"_Igneel?" Natsu asked slowly. Igneel looked down on his son, and smiled._

"_**Natsu," **__he said. Natsu struggled to find his words. There was so much he wanted to know, so much that he had been wondering about that day in x777. But he couldn't find what to say._

"_**I understand you have questions,"**__ Igneel said__**, "But I am afraid I cannot answer them. I am not truly here, this is merely a piece of my magic I left in you, so that I could guide you if the time arose. And it seems it did." **__Natsu then finally decided what to do. He cried out, and sprung forward, grabbing his father's nose._

"_I missed you so much!" he cried. Natsu didn't care if Igneel wasn't truly there. This was the first he saw of his father in years. He was going to ensure every moment count._

"_**You never could keep your mind on topic,"**__ Igneel said, smiling at his son__**, "But now you and I must discuss this all."**_

"_What?" Natsu asked, stepping back._

"_**This power you awakened, Dragon's Eye,"**__ Igneel explained__**, "No doubt you have realized that this power is dangerous."**__ Natsu stared at the ground, nodding._

"_**There is something you must know about fire,"**__ the Fire Dragon continued__**, "Fire is certainly one of the mightiest of the elements, but it is also the most difficult to master. Fire can, and often will, consume you, if you forget its power. But never forget its true nature."**_

"_Yeah," Natsu said sadly, "Its destruction."_

"_**That's not true," **__Igneel responded. Natsu looked up in surprise._

"_**Fire may be destructive, it is not destruction," **__Igneel explained__**, "Fire is the element of strength, and power. Its potential is dangerous, but unmatchable if used right. In that sense, it is quite like the power of Dragon's Eye. Dragon's Eye is an incredible power, but one that will consume you if are not careful."**_

"_I know, but how can I be careful?" Natsu said. Igneel chuckled at that._

"_**Of course you don't,"**__ he said__**, "In order to be careful, you must find anchors to keep you in the light." **_

"_Anchors?" Natsu asked. Igneel looked at the smoke, as did Natsu, and an image of the different members of Fairy Tail appeared._

"_**All those people are your anchors,"**__ Igneel said__**, "They are the ones who protect you." **__Then an image of Lucy appeared, smiling at them._

"_Lucy," Natsu said slowly._

"_**I know you are confused about this,"**__ the dragon said__**, "But it is simple. What you are feeling, is love."**_

"_Love?" Natsu asked. Never did he think about that, but… did he love Lucy?_

"_**Love is one of the strongest forces out there,"**__ Igneel said__**, "It made me strong, and it makes you strong. That girl will be among your strongest anchors, and she will be at your side in your most troubling hours."**_

"_But…," Natsu said, "I hurt her. I don't want to hurt her again!" He then began to tear up slightly._

"_**Natsu," **__Igneel said sternly. Son looked up at father._

"_**You will carry this with you for the rest of your life. But you must not allow it to rule it. Your friends love you with all their hearts, and that girl with possibly more. They will forgive you, but you must also allow you to forgive yourself. For if you let your sorrow consume you, then you will be lost" **__Natsu listened to Igneel's lecture, before clenching his fists._

"_I'm never going to use Dragon's Eye again," he said, "I can't."_

"_**No!" **__Igneel responded to Natsu's surprise__**, "You must not run away from your fears. For doing that, is the same as giving into them."**__ Natsu was silent, before he slowly nodded._

"_**There is one more thing you must know," **__Igneel said__**, "Soon, you will likely meet a child of a friend. When all is done, this child will be alone. Promise me, that you will be there for her, as her guide."**_

"_But…," Natsu began, but noticed Igneel's expression, and then he said, "I promise."_

"_**Good. Though I'm afraid this is all I can give you for now,"**__ Igneel said, as he reared up._

"_You aren't going are you?!" Natsu cried._

"_**I will always be present, to guide you,"**__ Igneel answered__**, "I am with you!"**__ With that, he opened his wings, and fire surged around him, and Natsu. When the fire faded, Natsu was back in his normal age._

**(in the real world)**

Natsu took a breath, as he stood up, his draconic features gone, as was his Dragon's Eye. He then looked at his hand.

"Lucy," he said.

**(two days later, in Magnolia)**

Lucy was very fortunate for Porlyusica. Without her, her burns would probably be in a far worse place. But thanks to the herbalist, Lucy's burns healed fairly quickly, with minimal scarring likely.

Right now, she was heading back to her apartment, a sleeping Happy in arms. Happy had never left Lucy's side since the accident, since Natsu wasn't around.

"Natsu," Lucy said. Whether for better or for worse, Lucy could not be angry at he for what he did. She knew very well that Natsu would never, in a thousand years, hurt Lucy intentionally. And because of that, she could not hold it over Natsu's head. Of course, she hadn't seen him since. The Dragon Slayer had disappeared into the mountains, and hadn't been seen by anyone since. And that worried Lucy. That wasn't like him.

"Where are you?" she asked out loud. She got her answer when she opened her door.

Sitting at the table, his head hung, was Natsu. Lucy stopped, as she looked at Natsu, setting Happy on her laundry basket.

"Natsu," she said.

"Lucy," Natsu said as he rose his head to look her in the eye. Lucy slowly approached him.

"Natsu, I…" But Natsu beat her to the punch, as he grabbed her arms.

"Lucy!" he cried, tears in his eyes, "I'm so sorry! I didn't want to hurt you! I promise it was an accident! I promise, I will never hurt you again!" After he was done, he hung his head weakly, as he cried.

"Natsu," Lucy answered, as she stared at him surprise. Then, something awoke her in. Some kind of feeling that she didn't fully understand, but didn't feel she needed to. She cupped Natsu's face, and brought it up to look at her.

"I forgive you," she said with a smile, "I will always forgive you." Natsu slowly rose to his feet, as he touched Lucy's hand against his face.

"Lucy," he said, smiling.

"Natsu," the blonde responded. It couldn't be explained, but at that moment, the emotions the two had long either suppressed or ignored, escaped to the surface, and at long last, they both acted upon them. Slowly, the two leaned towards each other.

And their lips connected.

The two briefly separated, and looked into each other's eyes, before the two kissed again. But this time, their tongues slid out, and into the other's mouth. The two embraced, as they began to move back. And with that, they fell back onto Lucy's bed.

All the while, Happy slept peacefully on Lucy's laundry.

**(in the mental world)**

_Igneel lay in the lava, as he watched his son returned to happiness, smiling._

"_**Don't degrade yourself with spying."**__ Igneel looked over, and saw Smaug perched on a rock._

"_**I told you to leave," **__Igneel growled._

"_**I know you talk a big game, Flame Dragon King,"**__ Smaug said, ignoring the comment__**, "But you and I both know that I can go nowhere without that boy following, and likewise, he cannot go without me following. He and I are one and the same."**_

"_**That is not true,"**__ Igneel hissed._

"_**And you also know, I am the only one keeping **_**it**_** at bay,"**__Smaug said, as he glared at Igneel. Igneel just glared back at Smaug, but he retracted his glare. He was not a fool, he knew Smaug's true nature, and how he was intertwined with Natsu. But for now, his son would enjoy his world._

**Note: There we have it folks. Natsu and Lucy are officially hooked up. I hope you all liked this chapter, with Igneel's exchange with Natsu, and with Smaug. And yes, Natsu and Lucy had sex, even though they probably shouldn't have with Happy in the room.**

**Surely some of you won't be happy with me using Smaug's name. Well, I figured I might as well go all out with the Smaug references, but don't worry, there probably won't be any other Tolkien references beyond that.**

**Up next is the Oracion Seis arc, and of course, Wendy.**


	15. After All This

_**After All This**_

The next morning, Natsu woke up, and he was in Lucy's room, and in Lucy's bed. In all honesty, that wasn't entirely unnatural, but this time, something was different. This time, Lucy was curled up in bed next to him. Natsu smiled, as he ran his hand through her hair.

At that point, Lucy stirred from her sleep, and opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was Natsu's smiling face. Lucy reacted the way she normally did, she screamed.

"Natsu!" she cried, as she fell back. It was at that moment she realized she was stark naked. The Celestial Spirit mage let out a yelp, as she grabbed her sheets to cover her body. Of course that exposed Natsu's own nudity.

"Good morning," Natsu said, not caring about his nakedness.

"Put some damn clothes on!" Lucy yelled, throwing a pillow at him.

"Ah," a childish voice said, "Where's my fish?" Lucy turned, and saw Happy sitting in her laundry basket, rubbing his eye. _Oh yeah, Happy was here_, she thought. Natsu just grinned at Lucy, as he sat on the bed.

"Don't give me that!" Lucy yelled, "You think you can just waltz in and deflower a girl!" Here she was, a completely innocent girl, who had just lost her virginity to this dragon in man's clothes.

"C'mon!" Natsu said, as he walked over and slung his arm around Lucy's shoulder, "We've got get back to the guild and spread the word!"

"Spread the word that we just had sex?" Lucy demanded. Natsu paused, thinking briefly.

"Yeah, let's tell 'em that too!" he said.

Lucy just glared at Natsu, before sighing. She knew she couldn't blame this all on him, seeing as she had went along with it just as much as he did. And of course it wasn't like it was bad, per se.

"Did last night really happen?" she asked. Natsu smile faded away, as he adopted a more serious face.

"Lucy," he said, as he knelt in front of her, his hands on her shoulders, "I don't ever want to hurt you again, but I need to protect you." He then put a hand on her face.

"You're my anchor, you're my light." Lucy listened in surprise to Natsu's confession, as she smiled, and touched his hand.

"Never worry, I'll be there for you," she said, "I think tonight just settled that." She then bent over, and she and Natsu briefly kissed again, but as they parted, Lucy adopted a serious face.

"You know you've got responsibility to me now!" Lucy said as she rose to her feet, her body still wrapped in the sheets, "Now first responsibility…" She then kicked both of Natsu and Happy out.

"Get out so I can get dressed!" she ordered. Of course, Lucy quickly tossed out Natsu's own clothes so that he wouldn't be arrested for public indecency, though she wouldn't surprised if Natsu had bene arrested for that a couple of times in the past already.

Lucy sunk into her bath, as she let the hot water flow over her.

"Did I really just make love with Natsu?" she asked to herself. Her virginity was something that Lucy wanted to keep to herself until she fell in love. Of all the people to lose it to, she would never of considered Natsu to be the one. But strangely enough, Lucy didn't fell upset about. True, she had been planning to save it for the man she loved, but Natsu…

Those was a strange phrase for her to think, one that for some reason, couldn't be properly processed in her mind. Those three words. Maybe, if she said them out loud…

"I…," she cleared her throat, "I lo… lo…" She took a deep breath.

"I love Natsu!" Lucy cried at the top of her lungs.

"I love you to." Lucy looked up, and saw Natsu's head poked into her window. In response, she threw her shampoo bottle at his fist, knocking him back out.

Once she was done, Lucy got out her bath, dried herself off, made herself presentable, with a red skirt, and yellow shirt, with her hair done up in its traditional style, and headed out. As she opened the door, she saw Natsu (now dressed of course), with Happy, waiting outside the door. Natsu smiled at her.

"Let's go!" he said, as he gestured. Lucy smiled, as she walked up to him, and they began heading to the guild hall. As they were walking, Lucy reached over, and intertwined her fingers with his.

"Natsu," she said.

"Yeah?"

"Maybe we can be a little subtle about our getting together?" Lucy asked, "I don't this to be too embarrassing."

"Don't worry, Lucy," Natsu said, as he tugged Lucy over, and wrapped his arm around her shoulders again, "I'll be subtle."

**(at the guild hall)**

"Hey everyone!" Natsu yelled as the guild doors opened up, "Lucy and I are officially together!" Lucy cried out. How could she had let her hopes get up about Natsu? She should've seen that coming though, and for all Lucy knew, maybe this was quite subtle for Natsu; she'd hate to see what _unsubtle_ was for Natsu. It would probably have something to do with her name, and giant fire letters.

After Natsu made the announcement, everyone in the guild stared at the couple standing in the door. Then, rather spontaneously, it erupted into noise.

"I knew it!" Mirajane said as she ran forward, and hugged Lucy, "From the moment Natsu brought you, and I knew you two would be together!"

"Finally! Natsu's a real man!" Elfman said loudly.

"Never thought our boy of all people would get a girlfriend," Macao said.

"I thought the only couple we'd be getting here was Alzack and Bisca," Wakaba said. Said gun mages averted their eyes from each other, turning red.

"Tch!" Gray snorted, "Can't believe that guy got with a girl before I did." Juvia fell to her face at Gray's words.

"What're you blind?" Warren asked, noting Juvia.

"Congratulations, Lu!" Levy said, as she also took her turn to hug Lucy, "You and Natsu are really good together!"

"Thank you," Lucy said.

"I can't wait to find my special man!" Levy said with a smile.

"Don't you already have him?" Lucy asked.

"I do?" Levy answered. Lucy's mouth made an "oh" shape.

"Never mind," she said, grinning, as she grabbed Natsu's arm.

"What do you mean!" Levy said.

"Don't bother tiny," Gajeel said from his table, "Don't get wrapped up in all this sap."

"I had a feeling about this," Cana said as she looked at one of her cards, "Though my cards were vague about when and how it would happen."

"Natsu!" Erza yelled, as everyone silenced. Natsu yelped as he hid behind Lucy while Erza marched right up to the pink haired man. Lucy stepped aside, exposing Natsu; she wasn't going to risk Erza's wrath, even if that meant throwing her boyfriend (still strange for her to think that) under the carriage.

"I have two things to say to you."

"Aye," Natsu said as he weakly looked up at his friend.

"Number one," Erza said, before holding up her fist, and slamming it down on Natsu's head, "Don't burn Lucy again."

"Yes, ma'am," Natsu said weakly, face down.

"And number two," Erza said, picking Natsu off the ground, and suddenly hugging him to her chest, "Congratulations. Be sure you treat her well." However Natsu only looked partially conscious at that point. To be expected, since he had just been clobbered in the head by an armored fist, and then slammed face first into a steel breastplate.

"Attention everyone!" Makarov said loudly, form his stand on the bar, "Let us celebrate the bond between our two guild mates! Free drinks and food for the day!" The guild cheered at that. Lucy chuckled, it probably wasn't everyday they got an actual reason to celebrate, but who was she to complain?

The rest of the day was spent with the guild essentially just cheering the fact that Natsu and Lucy were in a relationship, and fortunately, Natsu decided to keep the part where the two slept together private, much to Lucy's relief. Apparently even Natsu was able to show restraint when the situation arose.

During this time, they also found out the results of the Ms. Fairy Tail contest, which as it turned out, Erza won, with Lucy come in at close second.

"There goes my rent money!" Lucy cried.

"Don't worry," Natsu said, putting his hand on her head, "Just take a job and it'll be done."

"But the rent money would've been so much easier!" Lucy bemoaned. Natsu leaned over to her, and whispered in her here in a lecherous tone. Something that didn't fit in Natsu's lips.

"You could always stay with me," he said.

"Don't say it like that!" Lucy said, "It sounds creepy!" She wasn't ready to move in with Natsu just yet. They had just become a couple, but that didn't mean Lucy didn't want to stay with Natsu in the future.

After a few more reassuring words from both Natsu and Happy, Lucy managed to calm down, and could rejoin the festivities (though she overheard Natsu muttering about threatening the voters next time). That all said, there was an uncomfortable feeling Lucy was having, which didn't actually have anything to do with Natsu. A strange feeling that someone was watching her. Sometimes Lucy would glance over her shoulder, and thought she had a glimpse of someone there, but when she looked over, there was nothing there. She hated having these feelings at this point of happiness, but she couldn't help, and found herself moving closer to Natsu.

"What's wrong?" Natsu asked, showing concern.

"I can't shake the feeling that I'm being watched," Lucy said, "Like there's somebody following me around." Suddenly she was swooped up in Natsu's arms.

"Is someone trying to hurt you?" he demanded, dead serious.

"Natsu, put her down," Erza said, "Why would anyone want to hurt her?"

"Aye! Lucy's really nice!" Happy said as he sat on Natsu's shoulder.

"Its probably nothing," Lucy answered, as she got out of Natsu's arms, before stretching, "I'm getting tired. I'm going to head home now."

"Let me come with you," Natsu said, standing up. Lucy giggled.

"We may be together, but we still need our space," she said, "Don't worry, I'll see you tomorrow." She bent down, and kissed Natsu on the cheek, before heading out of the guild hall.

"I hope you know how lucky you are, Natsu," Gray said.

"Indeed," Erza said with a nod, "You don't meet a girl like that every hundred years."

"I know," Natsu said, as he smiled after Lucy. He then began to slowly get up, only to get yanked down by Erza.

"Lucy asked for space," she said, "We all intend to ensure its given to her."

**(with Lucy)**

Lucy happily strolled along the edge of the canal, smiling so brightly it nearly lit up the evening. Plue strolled after her.

"Careful Ms. Lucy!" the boatman yelled.

"To think," Lucy said, "that when I first met that fiery idiot, that I would end falling for him."

"Pun! Pun!"

"And yet here I stand, having my first boyfriend, with the last guy anyone would expect," Lucy said happily. Then she abruptly stopped, as she turned around. Standing at the edge of the alley, was a guy in a coat and hood. There was someone following her. Lucy let yelp, as she started walking faster. _There really is a guy watching me!_ she thought. She looked over a shoulder, and saw the guy just as close to her. _He's following me?_ Lucy thought with despair, before walking faster again. Suddenly she was starting to regret not letting Natsu come with her.

Eventually Lucy stopped, and looked again, to see the guy gone.

"Phew," she said, taking a breath, "That's a relief." She then turned around.

"AAAHHH!" she cried. The guy was standing right in front of her.

**(at Fairy Tail)**

"Let me go!" Natsu yelled, "I've got to make sure Lucy's alright!" One would think that just Erza would be enough to keep him down. And yet Erza, Gray, Elfman, Freed, Bixlow, Alzack, Macao, and Wakaba (eight people), were needed to pin him down.

"Damn, when did Natsu get this tough?" Gray demanded.

"Its because he's a man!" Elfman said, "And real men fight for their women!" That was when Lucy's scream reached Natsu's ears. Now, Natsu was getting serious. His body flared with fire, and blew everyone off him.

"I'm coming Lucy!" he yelled, as he ran out to the streets.

**(with Lucy)**

"There's no need to scream, Lucy," the man said.

"What, how do you know my name?" Lucy said as she moved back. The man smiled, as he lowered his hood.

"Don't you recognize me?" he asked. At first Lucy didn't, but then she looked closer.

"Dad?" Sure enough, it was her father, Jude Heartfilia, but he looked different. His hair as long and messy, and he had grown a beard. He didn't look anything like how he used to.

"What's going on? What happened to you?" Lucy asked. Jude sighed.

"The company's been bought out," he explained solemnly, "Everything's gone."

"You're kidding!" Lucy said in surprise. If nothing else, her father was one of the best business men in the kingdom. There was no way he could've been outmaneuvered.

"I'm not entirely sure how it happened," Jude continued, "Apparently being in my position can turn a smart man foolish." Lucy didn't care in the least about the estate, or anything of the sort, but there was one piece of property she couldn't live without.

"What about Mom's grave?" she demanded.

"First thing I thought of," Jude answered, handing Lucy an address, "Its here now." Lucy sighed in relief, at that. At least she could know that her mother wasn't being desecrated by some overzealous construction team.

"Its ironic isn't it," Jude said with a chuckle, "I sacrificed everything for that fortune, and still its gone." Lucy didn't share his humor.

"Why are you here?" she asked. Jude stopped laughing as he took a breath.

"To see you," he answered simply

"That's convenient," Lucy said, glaring at her father, "That all of a sudden you decided to regard me. You aren't even supposed to be near Fairy Tail!"

"I don't have the power to threaten your guild," Jude explained, "I'm just here to see my girl's face." Lucy didn't answer, she just glared at him.

"It kills me to see you like that," Jude said, "I know what I did to you was wrong, and I don't plan on asking for forgiveness. I don't even intend to stay here. I was going to head to the nearest merchant's guild, and restart. I just need a little something…"

"No," Lucy interrupted. Jude stared at her in surprise. He opened his mouth, but Lucy beat him to the punch.

"What gives you the right to ask anything of me?" Lucy said, "Since Mom died, you've given me nothing but fear and sadness! And you think that you can waltz right up to me, and ask me for anything?"

"Lucy…," Jude said.

"I want nothing more to do with you!" Lucy said firmly, "I've moved on! I've got a home, friends who care for me, and I…." She briefly paused, before shaking her head. _No! I'm gong to say this with pride, _she thought.

"I've got a boyfriend now!" she said proudly. That caught Jude off guard.

"You… do?" he asked.

"Yes, I do!" Lucy said, her hands on her hips, "One that loves me! One that is willing to move mountains for me! And one that I love as well, and plan to spend my life with!" She then stopped, as she took a breath to calm yourself.

"Leave," she instructed, "There's nothing here for you." Jude was silent, as he slowly turned and walked away. As he did, Lucy stared at the ground in silence, her fists clenched. _Why can't he just let me be?_ she thought.

"Lucy!" Said girl looked over her shoulder, and saw Natsu running towards her.

"Natsu," Lucy said. Natsu came up to her, and checked her.

"I heard you scream!" he said, "Are you alright?" Lucy was silent for a time, before smiling broadly.

"Perfectly!" she said. That could've been a lie, considering what had happened, but it wasn't. If anything, Lucy felt liberated.

From further down the road, Jude had stopped, and looked back as Lucy was inspected by who he presumed was her boyfriend. For him, it looked very familiar, and he took a breath, and smiled.

**Note: I know I said I was going to do the Oracion Seis arc, but then I remembered this brief story arc with Lucy and her father, and I figured I should address it. The next chapter will also be about it, but after that, you will be getting the Oracion Seis Arc.**


	16. Love and Lucky

_**Love and Lucky**_

The next day, Lucy decided she needed to get back to work, and get some money for rent. She still wasn't inclined to start living with Natsu yet.

"Here's our next job!" Gray announced, as he held up the job request. It was something about capturing a crook of some kind, but what really got Lucy's attention was the reward.

"2,000,000 Jewels!" Lucy said.

"We were going to divide it amongst us with 400,000 each," Erza explained, "But Natsu said he doesn't really need the money, so you can have half his share."

"Is that really okay?" Lucy asked, looking at Natsu, who just smiled back at her.

"I've got my own house, so I don't need rent money," he explained, "and if I ever get hungry, I can just go look for some fire. You need it more than me." Lucy smiled, as she took her boyfriend's hand. They'd only been together for a little more than a day now, and yet Natsu was already bending over backwards for her.

"Well, what're we waiting for!" she said, pumping her fist. As they were getting ready though, Lucy overheard a couple of other members talking.

"You heard about what happened on merchant guild?" one guy asked. Lucy's ears perked up at that. She remembered her father telling her he was heading towards a nearby merchant guild.

"Yeah, I heard it was attacked by Naked Mummy," another guy said, "And was then occupied by them."

"If it is then the army won't be able to do anything." This time, Lucy looked directly at the members talking about it. _Dad_ she thought.

"I can't wait to go and beat this guy up!" Natsu said, "I wonder what would happen if body slammed him while my chest is glowing?"

"This is a mission, not a time to test new moves," Erza said.

"That's not going to stop me from beating him straight into next year!" Gray said.

"Aye sir!" Happy piped up. During all this, Lucy remained silent. _It doesn't matter! _she thought _He's brought me nothing but pain, so why should I care what happens to that man?_

"Yo, Lucy!" Natsu said, "What's up? Aren't we going?" However, Lucy wasn't paying attention. She marched over to where the other guys were sitting.

"Where's the merchant guild?" she demanded. After getting the information, she dropped her bag and ran out.

"Lucy!" Natsu called, as he ran after her.

"What about the mission?" Happy asked.

"There's something I need to do!" Lucy said as she hurried away.

**(at the train station)**

After buying her ticket, Lucy quickly boarded, and took her seat, and waited impatiently for the train to depart. She figured every second was a second her father was in danger. Lucy had considered asking the others for help, but she figured this was something that she had to do on her own, and as such, wouldn't drag them into this. Of course, there was something she forgot.

"Lucy!" She turned, and saw Natsu poking his head through the train window.

"Natsu?" Lucy asked, "What're you doing here?" Natsu grinned as he climbed in

"You don't I'm going to let you go, do you?" he asked. Lucy first reaction to protest, but then she figured that at this point, Natsu would literally follow her anyone, so it was probably pointless. And of course, he could probably prove to be of some help against the dark mages.

"Okay then," she said with a smile, "But don't forget this a train. What about your motion sickness?"

"I can live through motion sickness when I'm with you," Natsu said, as he sat next to his girlfriend, and wrapped his arm around her. Lucy smiled warmly.

"Don't forget me!" Happy said as he floated in.

"Happy? You too?" Lucy asked.

"Aye!" the cat answered, "Wherever Natsu goes, I go too!" Lucy was worried that the little guy would be in danger, but she had long since accepted that a relationship with Natsu meant spending more time with Happy. Not something Lucy was complaining about, but it was something she had to get used to.

"You bought a ticket right?" she asked.

"A what now?"

**(sometime later)**

After a brief explanation to Natsu about the importance of paying for things (which included him getting a conk on the head he thought only possible from Erza), and a cover about what Lucy's objective was (something that made Natsu even more intent on going with her), she bought him and Happy tickets, and they headed out to the town where the guild was. During the tip, Natsu lay slumped on Lucy's lap in his misery, very close to throwing up. Lucy didn't mind actually, but she would be lying if she said that Natsu potentially puking all over her skirt was something she didn't mind either.

Eventually, they arrived at the town, which was called Acalypha, and the headed towards where the merchant guild was. They eventually spotted it, a large building with a sign that said "Love and Lucky". Once they arrived, they spotted a large crowd assembled in front of it, crying for the army to take action. Of course, Lucy and Natsu both knew that if the army did try to storm the building, they'd probably get massacred.

"Let's go!" Natsu said, as he started to head the building, only for Lucy to yank him back, and into an alley.

"We can't go in there, shooting magic everywhere!" Lucy said, "It could get the people inside hurt!"

"Then what to do we do?" Natsu asked, folding his arms, "Go around back?"

"I may have a suggestion." The two people and the one cat looked down, and saw Virgo standing under Lucy, the ground up to her shoulders.

"Virgo, when did you get here?" Lucy asked.

"I'm always with you, Princess," Virgo answered calmly, "Again, I may have a suggestion as to how get in."

"What is it?" Happy asked.

"Simple," Virgo explained, "I use my Earth Magic to underground, and get into the hall from beneath."

"That's boring," Natsu complained, pouting, "I still say we should force our way in!"

"Hate to break it to you, lover boy," Lucy said, giving Natsu a look, "but this is my task, we do it my way." Natsu frowned more, before sighing.

"Whatever," he said, "I guess I'll still be able to sear people this way."

"That's the spirit!" Lucy said, "And speaking of spirits…." She looked to Virgo.

"A punishment?" the Celestial Spirit asked. Lucy sweat dropped.

"Uh, no," Lucy answered, "Can you dig a hole?"

"It will be done, Princess," Virgo said, as she dropped into the ground.

**(in the guild hall)**

Naked Mummy was armed to the teeth, with hostages tied up and gagged before them.

"When are we getting the damn ransom?" one guy asked, "They better not think we're kidding!"

"There was supposed to be money here!" another one said, "This is a merchant guild, isn't it?"

"Shut up!" the leader said, "Just get all the money! We'll get the ransom soon enough! All we have to do is show those army dolts we're not messing around!" He then look at the hostages, and noticed them all crying.

"Shaddup!" he ordered, "You're crying is annoying!" That was when he noticed one of the hostages was a child, who was still crying.

"I told ya to shut up!" the leader yelled again, as he took aim with his magic gun, and fired. The bullets blasted at the child, before suddenly the ground exploded, and a cloud of fire blocked the magic bullets.

"The hell did that come from!"

From a hole in the ground, emerged Natsu, as he rubbed his neck.

"I hate being in cramped places," he muttered to himself, "We would've gotten the same result if we attacked head on, I still say."

"Get over it already," Lucy said as she jumped from the hole as well, before addressing the dark mages, "Stop this right now!"

"Who the hell are these guys?!" one mage demanded.

"They're from one of the legal guilds!" the leader said. Natsu's fists were consumed in fire.

"I'm all fired up now!" he said smiling, before looking to Lucy," Now?"

"Now," Lucy said with a thumbs up. Natsu then leapt at the dark mages.

"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!" he yelled as he blasted away several of them with a single punch.

"Open, Gate of the Golden Bull: Taurus!" Lucy said, as she summoned Taurus, who quickly overpowered the dark mages with his axe.

Meanwhile, Natsu was being charged by more dark mages. He turned, as his chest lit up, and he breathed his fire. One dark mage came up behind him, only to get hit in the face by Happy with a fish.

"Open, Gate of the Horse Archer!" Lucy said, after Taurus disappeared, and before the archer quickly knocked away the remaining members, leaving just the leader, who Lucy turned to.

"And now…," Lucy said as she jumped forward, "Lucy Kick!" She kicked the guy straight in the face, sending him sprawled on the ground, unconscious.

"Nice job, Lucy!" Natsu said.

"Thanks, Natsu!" Lucy said, smiling, before turning, and calling, "Dad!" However there was no response as the freed merchants celebrated.

"Thank you so much!" the little boy who was almost shot said, coming up to Natsu and Lucy.

"No problem!" Natsu said with a thumbs up. Lucy wasn't paying attention, as she continued looking for her father, but saw no sign of him. _Where is he?_ she thought.

"Have you found your dad?" Natsu asked her walked over, and put his hand on her shoulder, as they followed the escapees out onto the street.

"No," Lucy said, she was getting nervous, and with that she cried out, "DAD!"

"Lucy?" Boyfriend and girlfriend turned, to see Jude Heartfilia walking right up to them.

"Dad?" Lucy asked, somewhat dumbstruck, "You're just getting here now?"

"Well yes," Jude answered casually, "I didn't have any money, so I had to walk, instead of taking the train. That's what I was going to ask you for yesterday, money for a ticket." _So I was worried for nothing?_ Lucy thought. That was when Jude noticed all the soldiers.

"Was there something going on here?" he asked.

"There was a dark guild attack!" Happy said, as he floated up.

"Oh, a talking cat? Interesting." The man sounded slightly surprised at best.

"So is that why you were here, you worried about me?" he asked.

"Forget it!" Lucy said as she turned on her heel, and walked away, "Let's go Natsu!" She grabbed Natsu's hand, and started to drag him away.

"Lucy!" Jude called. For a reason Lucy didn't fully understand, she stopped, and looked back.

"During my long walk, I had a chance for some perspective," Jude said, "I came to realize how horrible I've been acting then. I am truly sorry for that. Trust me, I'm willing to change! Losing everything, helps a man to realize what he really needs in life!" Lucy was silent, as she just listened.

"Lucy," Natsu said softly. Jude smiled as a memory came back to him.

"You know, I met your mother at this place," he said, "I was just a simple merchant boy at that time, and your mother was a mage who was thinking of expanding her talents. Things just took off from there." That got Lucy's attention.

"Did I ever tell you how we decided on your name?" Jude asked solemnly. Lucy was silent for a time, before shaking her head, not looking back.

"Well, it was the day I was about to start my own business," Jude explained, "Your mother and I were leaving, when she noticed the 'K' in the sign had fallen off, making it read 'Lucy' instead of 'Lucky'. And at that moment, we decided that if our child was a girl, we would name her Lucy."

"That's weird," Happy muttered to Natsu. Natsu just shrugged in response. For the longest time Lucy was silent, before she finally looked over her shoulder.

"That's a tad stupid," she said, "You can't just go choosing a name that lightly." Jude chuckled.

"I suppose so," he admitted.

"Really?" Natsu asked Lucy, "I was thinking about naming our first baby Scales if it was a boy, and Scala if it was a girl." Lucy let out a yelp, as she flushed red.

"Natsu!" she cried, "its way to early to think of that!"

"Young man, Natsu was it?" Jude said, as he looked at Natsu, "You're my daughter's boyfriend, yes?" Natsu turned to him, as his face turned serious.

"Yeah? What of it?" Jude's face turned serious as well.

"You've got yourself a true treasure there," he said, "See that you treat her well." Lucy looked at surprise at her father at that statement. Natsu then walked right up to Jude.

"And let me tell you something," he said, "Lucy's saved me in many ways. She means the world and more to me! If you do anything to hurt her…" A reptilian growl rumbled in the back of his throat, but Jude wasn't intimidated. Instead, he put his hand on Natsu's shoulder, catching the Dragon Slayer off guard.

"I leave her in your hands now," Jude said, "Take care of her." Natsu blinked, before nodding firmly. With that he walked back to his girlfriend, and the two started heading away. Jude took a breath, as he turned to go to Love and Lucky.

"Dad!" he heard Lucy called, causing him to look back, and saw Lucy waving at him.

"Take care of yourself!" she said. Jude just smiled, as he watched his daughter and the man she loved leave.

"Oh, Layla," he said, "What was I doing?"

**Note: There's probably more to it than that, but I thought this was a nice, heartwarming point to end the chapter. Next chapter will mark the beginning of the Oracion Seis arc. That said, I could use some suggestion for that as to how to differentiate the arc from canon.**

**On an unrelated note, there's been a story idea that's been gnawing at my brain for a while now, and it finally got so frustrating that I had to do it. I'm not stopping this story, far from it, I'm just going to publish another story, and update it when the desire arises. Look for it; it will be called "I See Fire In the Sky".**


	17. Allied Forces Assemble

_**Allied Guild Forces**_

"You're going to be the death of us, Natsu," Erza said.

"Hey, those guys were the ones hitting on Lucy!" Natsu protested, "I had to punish them!"

"Said guys were our customers," Lucy said with a sigh. Team Natsu was currently heading home, after a job went sour. They had been hired by Yajima to serve at his restaurant, which seemed easy enough, but the catch was the girls had to wear very short skirts. Erza didn't mind it (in fact she got very into it, which creeped the others out), but Lucy wasn't one to go around showing her "things" to other guys, and she found the job all around very embarrassing. But that wasn't the problem. The problem was Natsu didn't like Lucy being so exposed either, and the first guy to start flirting with his girlfriend… Well, let's just say more than the food got cooked.

After a couple of incidents like this, Yajima had to let the Fairy Tail mages go, but he was understanding enough to give them payment for the time they did work there. Looking back it probably wasn't entirely Natsu's fault; Gray kept on stripping (he got dangerously close to pulling his underpants off, but fortunately before he could, Natsu's antics distracted him), Happy kept on eating the fish (and in hindsight they probably shouldn't have given him that job), and Erza's constant acts of seduction (intentional or unintentional) pissed off a lot of girlfriends. _I really am the only sane one,_ Lucy thought exasperatedly.

Eventually they got back to the guild, and when they arrived, there was a large chart, with several names of what Lucy assumed were guilds. There were about seven circles, each of having about five or so guilds in them, and over each circle was a name. In the very center, was a massive circle with three guild names in it.

"What's this?" Lucy asked.

"Do you like it, I drew it myself," Reedus said.

"Its a spread of all the dark guilds," Mirajane explained, coming up next to Lucy, "Lately they've been quite active, which is odd. Normally they're fairy quiet."

"What's with all the circles?" Elfman asked.

"Well, the smaller circles refer to guild groups, which are each ruled by a powerful dark lord," Freed said, "Like that one." He pointed to one of the circles, which had about ten guilds instead of five.

"That's an alliance of dark guilds, who all answer to a single person, apparently named, Frieze," he said.

"And the big one in the center is the Balam Alliance, if Juvia's memory is correct," Juvia said, "It consists of some of the most powerful dark guilds known: Oracion Seis, Grimoire Heart, and Tartarus. And each dark lord, and by extension the guilds and their control, answers to one of those three." Lucy remembered all the dark guilds that Fairy Tail had a hand in destroying, most of them being under Oracion Seis.

"I hope they don't hold a grudge!" Lucy said nervously, as she scurried behind Natsu.

"Oracion Seis isn't too tough," Macao said.

"Yeah, don't they have only like, six people?" Wakaba asked.

"Said six people control a third of the underworld, and at least three dark lords," Mirajane said, "Don't underestimate them."

"And Oracion Seis is exactly what we're talking about!" Makarov said as he entered the guild. Everyone quieted down, to hear what he had to say.

"The dark guilds are moving, so we all must move as well," he explained, "The time has come to end the rule of the Oracion Seis!" Everyone gasped in surprise at that announcement. They never thought that things would go so far as to declare out right war on them.

"Oh? Okay then," Mirajane said cheerfully.

"Can you keep with the program?" Lucy said

"What exactly is the plan, Master?" Erza asked, "Surely we can't do it alone."

"Speak for yourself," Natsu said, "I'll char them all!"

"Simmer down, Natsu," Lucy said, flicking him in the forehead.

"Far from it. If we go at it alone, then we'll likely end up getting destroyed" Makarov said, "The plan is for Fairy Tail to take a page from their book, and ally up with others."

"An alliance of our own?" Gray said.

"Indeed," Makarov answered, "The alliance will be made up of the following: Fairy Tail, Lamia Scale, Blue Pegasus, and Cait Shelter."

"I said I can take them myself!" Natsu said.

"And I told you to simmer down!" Lucy scolded.

**(overlooking the Worth Woodsea)**

If you asked someone about the Worth Woodsea, chances are they wouldn't know anything about, seeing as only a select few had the bravery to go dive into it. There was something in that forest, something ancient, and evil.

On a cliff, overlooking the forest, a group of people stood.

"I can hear it," the guy at the head said, "The sound of light crumbling to the ground. Can you?" He had red hair, with sharp features, and slanted eyes, with a white trench coat. Wrapped around him, was an enormous, purple snake, which nuzzled his cheek.

"Don't get ahead of yourself, Cobra," a guy behind him said, in the shadow, "If we're going to succeed, we're going to have to be fast!"

"Oh yeah! The magic that turns light into darkness!"

"The power of Nirvana!"

"Zzzz…"

"Can you all see it?" the sixth person said, as he approached the edge of the cliff, "The darkness is consuming the forest. That is our target, the ultimate dark magic! We shall do it now!"

**(at the edge of the forest)**

"Are we there yet?" Natsu groaned, as he lay in Lucy's lap. The group was heading to the designating meeting place by carriage, something Natsu wasn't happy about in the least.

"Why am I even here?" Lucy asked nervously, "I'm not good enough!"

"Don't start complaining," Gray said, "I don't like this either."

"But what about Juvia or Gajeel?" Lucy asked, "Surely they're better suited for this than me!"

"They've got other work," Erza answered, "Besides, your presence helps keep Natsu motivated." Lucy sighed, as she looked down at Natsu, who looked very close to passing out. _Well, maybe if I stay with him, I'll be safe_ she thought. That was a perk of being the girlfriend of a Dragon Slayer. Lucy attempted to tell Levy about that perk, but the Letter Mage kept changing the subject.

"So when all's said and done, its our same old group," Gray said, "Why is it that whenever there's something big its always us?"

"Aye, its like someone's dictating events that happening to us," Happy said, "Like we're in a story."

"Stop talking nonsense," Erza said, "Its good for us to always be together. I think we're probably one of the most ample teams in the guild."

"Look!" Happy said, poking his head out the window, "There's the meeting point!" The carriage pulled up to a large mansion in the forest, which was decorated very extravagantly.

"What is this place?" Lucy asked as they entered, and looked around. She was holding Natsu's hand, helping to keep him standing.

"Its a mansion that used to belong the Guild Master of Blue Pegasus, Bob," Erza answered.

"That creepy guy?" Gray asked with a frown.

"Don't talk foul about Master Bob," Erza chastised, "He may be a tad eccentric, as are many of his members, but they are all ample enough." At that moment, the room went dark.

"Speak of the devil."

"Welcome, Fairy Tail!" A spotlight suddenly shown down, revealing three male figures, their bodies shrouded in shadows.

"We are the delegation from Blue Pegasus," the three men said in union, "We are known as the Trimen!"

"Hundred Nights Hibiki Lates!"

"Holy Night Eve Tearm!"

"Silent Night Ren Akatsuki!" Each one of the three men was wearing a black suit, with black dress shoes. The ultimate word used to describe these guys would be "handsome", not much else.

"I… am at a lost for words," Lucy said. Since getting together with Natsu, Lucy found less men attractive; she was in love with Natsu, and intended to remain loyal to him, and these guys were no exception. Lucy intended to stay close to Natsu, but this trio had different plans.

"So you are the legendary Titania?" Hibiki said, "You're reputation doesn't do you justice."

"Please step this way," Ren said.

"We intend to treat you well," Eve piped up. They guided Erza over to a table and couch, which seemed to appear out of nowhere, and then sat her down. Then, Hibiki grabbed Lucy's hand, and snatched her clean away from Natsu, either ignoring or unaware of the fact that Lucy's hand was intertwined with Natsu's. Natsu, still reeling form the carriage ride, wasn't able to protest.

"I heard a lot of good things about you," Erza said politely, "I look forward to working together."

"Your beauty is truly unrivaled Ms. Scarlet," Eve said, "I have always admired you." Erza sweat dropped.

Lucy wasn't in a better place. She got Ren and Hibiki all over her, and while Lucy didn't necessarily mind what they were doing, she feared slightly for her safety, especially when Natsu came to her senses.

"Um, you should know..," Lucy began.

"We already know your elegance," Hibiki said, as he took Lucy's hand, and caressed it. Suddenly, Natsu's "Lucy Senses" tingled.

"I noticed it as well," Ren said, before turning, "Not that I was really paying attention to you or anything."

"That's not it," Lucy said, grinning weakly, "The thing is, I've got a boyfriend." She hoped that would discourage them, but for some reason it seemed to encourage them.

"There has been ever a lady we've managed to sway," Ren said.

"And your boyfriend is not here," Hibiki said grinning.

"Actually…," Lucy began, before hearing a growling sound.

"Too late," Happy said. All of a sudden, the table was smashed by a fiery fist. Natsu, having gotten over his motion sickness the moment he heard Lucy getting flirted with, was standing there. His chest began to glow.

"Natsu," Erza said, narrowing his eyes.

"You guys have five seconds to get your hands off my girlfriend, before I turn you into ash," the Dragon Slayer growled.

"So your her boyfriend?" Eve asked.

"I feel sorry for the poor girl," Hibiki said.

"Yes, her life must be quite miserable with such a beast in her life," Ren said. Natsu let out another growl, as the glow in his chest began to spread to his neck.

"You guys are really stupid," Happy said to the Trimen, "You don't want to make Natsu mad." Lucy quickly got up, and moved over to Natsu.

"Natsu," she said, putting her hands on Natsu's cheeks, "Calm down. For me?" Natsu looked at Lucy, as he took a breath, letting out a cloud of steam into the air, and the glow faded.

"Thank you," Lucy said, smiling gently.

"That is quite enough of all this!" a new voice said.

"What's with that sickly sweet voice?" Lucy said, as she felt Natsu wrap his arms around her.

"Is that…," Erza said, before a look of pure dread slid on to her face, "Oh dear god." All eyes were attracted to the top of the stairs, as a new player decided to show his face. Whether if it was for better or for worse, that was up to debate.

"Its been a long time, my beloved," a short, chiseled faced man with orange hair said.

"'My beloved'?" Happy and Lucy asked in unison.

"We apologize, Master Ichiya!" the Trimen said, "We did not know she was your girlfriend!"

"That's not true and you know it!" Erza screamed at the Blue Pegasus mages, though they all ignored her scream.

"Clean up this mess immediately!" Ichiya instructed as he slid down the stair railing.

"Yes, Big Brother!" the Trimen said.

"Wait!" Lucy said, "Is it 'Master' or 'Big Brother'?"

"I think it could be either," Happy answered.

"I and pleased to meet you, Ms. Erza, Ms. Lucy," Ichiya said, before posting to Natsu and Gray, "You two, not so much." He then looked to Lucy.

"Your parfume is truly quite magnificent," he said.

"That guy's creepy!" Lucy said. Natsu swept Lucy into his arms.

"Don't worry Lucy, I'll protect you!" he said. Lucy instinctively wrapped her arms around Natsu's neck. As long as she was around this Ichiya creep, she wouldn't feel safe.

"You have good reason to feel the way you do," Erza said, "This guy isn't one I generally seek the company of, but nonetheless he's an ample mage, and is a good ally to have."

"Yo! Creeps!" Gray said, as he stepped forward, "I advise against touching any of our girls. We can't promise that you won't get burned or frozen." To illustrate his point, Natsu held Lucy closer. The Pegasi looked at the Faries.

"Please remove yourself from the premises," Ichiya instructed. The boys both flared up in anger at that, and it wasn't helped by what happened next.

"It was nice to meet you all," the Trimen said in a gratingly obnoxious voice. Lucy began to feel hot, and that was when she noticed Natsu's chest was glowing. Steam began to leak out of his mouth as well.

"You guys looking for a fight?" Gray said with a glare.

"Why, are you?" Ren asked.

"Don't underestimate us," Eve said, "We're quite ample fighters." Natsu then gently lay Lucy on the ground.

"You think you can take us?" he asked.

"Without a problem," Hibiki said. Natsu was silent, before he held up his head, and let out a cloud of fire.

"Do you now?" he hissed. Before anyone could answer, Natsu was knocked to the ground by Erza's fist.

"Enough!" the woman said, "Keep your pride in check!"

"Sniff! Sniff!" Ichiya said, "Truly a splendid parfume!" Erza let out a scream, before her fist found a new target.

"Keep your grubby paws off me!" she yelled as she sent Ichiya flying.

"Men!" Ichiya moaned.

"Thank you!" Lucy cried out. Ichiya careened towards the door, before he was abruptly stopped in mid air, and his head frozen solid.

"So this is how we're greeted?" a new voice said, "I guess this to be expected from Fairy Tail."

"Lyon?" Gray asked.

"Gray?" Lyon responded.

"That guy from the island!" Natsu said. Lyon threw Ichiya away, back towards the group.

"Men!" The Pegasus crashed into the ground, shattering the ice on his head.

"The hell are you doing?" Gray yelled.

"Hey, you were the one who threw him at me!" Lyon responded.

"How do you do that to our boss?" Eve said.

"Why can't all you men just leave!" Hibiki said.

"We're not all men." That was when the carpet suddenly flared up, and knocked Lucy away. The carpet was promptly incinerated by Natsu.

"Wait, wasn't that…," Lucy said, recognizing the magic.

"Ah yes!" Sherry Blendy said as she strolled right in, "But forget all you know about me before, for I am the star of love!"

"That parfume!" Ichiya cried, "I must smell it again!" He then started to run towards Erza.

"I said keep off!" Erza said.

"Lyon."

"Gray."

"You still want to go for Lucy?" Natsu asked, as he let his chest light up again, "I've always wanted to try barbecued horse."

"We're not horses, we're pegasi," Hibiki said with a glower.

"Damned if I care."

"I'm afraid I cannot love you though," Sherry sneered at Lucy.

"Well frankly, I don't like you either!" Lucy responded.

The atmosphere in the mansion was turning very sour, very quickly. It looked to be very close to a brawl.

"Enough!" a commanding voice instructed. Nobody was sure what it was about it, but suddenly, they immediately stopped. Standing at the door, was a large man, in a green and blue outfit, carrying a staff. Oh, and he was bald (that's important).

"We're here to be allies, not fight amongst ourselves!" the man said, "And end the rule of a vicious dark guild!"

"You always do have good timing, Jura," Lyon said with a smile.

"Jura?" Erza said.

"I've heard about him," Hibiki said, "He's the most powerful member of Lamia Scale!"

"The hell's that?" Natsu asked.

"One of the Ten Wizard Saints!" Happy piped up.

"Yikes!" Lucy said, "Even I've heard that guy!"

"So four Faries, four Pegasi, but only three Lamia?" Sherry said, "What does that say about the rest of you?" Lucy fumed at her.

"Natsu!" she called, "Sick her!" But even Natsu knew better at this point.

"Three out of the four are here," Jura said, "We can't start without Cait Shelter's representatives."

"I actually be 'representative' may be more accurate," Ichiya said, "I hear they are sending only one."

"Just a single mage?" Gray said, "This missions really big, why would they do that?"

"Just one guy? Then he must be insanely powerful, right?" Lucy got her answer relatively quickly, when there was a slight "oof". Everyone turned, as a small, blue haired girl rose to her feet.

"I'm sorry I'm late," she said, as she faced everyone, "My names' Wendy Marvel, of Cait Shelter."

"A kid?" Lucy said.

"She's the one to fight?" Lyon asked. Natsu stared in silence, and surprise.

"_**Soon you will likely meet the child of a friend."**_ Igneel's words echoed through Natsu's ears.

"Its her," he whispered.

**Note: Don't ask how Natsu knows Wendy's the one, I'll explain later. I was going to introduce Wendy in full in this chapter, but I figured that this chapter was long enough as it was, so I decided to do it next time.**

**I find it strange that I've got over 80 reviewers, and yet barely 5 reviews per chapter. Come on people, its not asking much is it? **

**Oh well, hoped you liked it, and be sure to read "I See Fire In the Sky" as well.**


	18. Sky Dragon Slayer

_**Sky Dragon Slayer**_

Everyone stared in surprise at the little girl who had announced herself as the representative of Cait Shelter.

"You got be kidding!" Lucy said.

"That little girl is the representative of Cait Shelter?" Lyon asked.

"She's not manly," Hibiki, who was under Erza's boot, said.

"I for one am glad she isn't," Erza responded. The girl, named Wendy nervously looked around, as everyone stared at her.

"Well, now that everyone's here," Jura said, as he turned.

"Are you completely oblivious?!" Gray demanded.

"She's kind of cute," Hibiki said with a smile.

"I'm insulted!" Sherry lamented, "Why would they send a little girl all on her own?"

"She is by no means on her own you vulgar fool!" As if the little girl wasn't surprising enough, in strolled someone even more unexpected: a white cat. But this cat was wearing a pink dress, a bow in her tail, and was walking too legs. Oh, and she was talking. _Wow, she's just like Happy! _Natsu thought.

"Carla!" Wendy said, "You followed me here?"

"Of course I did," the cat, apparently Carla, said, "I could not in good conscience let you go out like this on you own."

"She's also cute," Eve said.

"So you flirt with cats too!" Lucy said. Happy stared at Carla in awe, before his eyes lit up into hearts. The white cat briefly glanced at Happy, before letting out a huff, and turning away. But Happy wasn't going to give up so easily. He tugged at Lucy's boot.

"Lucy, can you please tell that pretty cat that I've still got my things?" Happy asked.

"I'd say you should do that yourself," Lucy said, "But I don't think you should say that to a woman." Happy pouted.

"What would you know?" he muttered.

"Well, seeing as I'm woman, and I'm got a boyfriend, I think I know a thing or two."

"I'm sorry," Wendy said nervously, "I know I'm not that much, and to be honest, I'm not that might of a fighter, but I can do plenty of support magic. So please don't send me home! It will be so shameful!"

"Keep yourself together, child!" Carla scolded. Erza smiled, as she walked over to introduce herself, but Natsu beat her to the punch. He marched right up to Wendy, as he bent down and looked at her.

"Wendy? Right?"

"Y… yes," Wendy answered, "Are you…" She then gasped.

"You're Natsu Dragneel!" she said, before smiling big, "You're the Fire Dragon Slayer, right?" Natsu cocked his head, before nodding. Lucy decided to take this as an opportunity to introduce herself.

"My name's Lucy," she said kindly, "Natsu's my boyfriend. I use Celestial Spirit Magic."

"She does?" Hibiki said more to himself than his compatriots, "That's interesting."

"Its nice to meet you too," Wendy said, smiling, "I use…" She then paused, as if she was nervous to explain.

"Go ahead and explain!" Carla said, "You won't earn their trust by keeping secrets."

"Okay," Wendy said, before taking a deep breath, "I use Sky Dragon Slayer Magic!" Everyone stared at her surprise.

"She's a Dragon Slayer?" Erza asked.

"Just like Natsu," Gray said.

"Two Dragon Slayers?" Lyon said.

"This may just help to swing the battle in our favor," Jura muttered, "With not one, but two, students of the great serpents present, this could give us the boost we need."

"This is certainly a rare event, men!" Ichiya said, "It certainly explains her magnificent parfume!"

"I'm really nothing special," Wendy said, "I'm just…."

"You really are her!" Natsu said, as he grabbed Wendy's shoulders, catching the poor girl off guard, "The one Igneel told me about!"

"Igneel?" Wendy asked.

"That's the dragon that raised Natsu," Happy said, "Hi! I'm Happy the Magnificent, Natsu's loyal sidekick and partner!" The introduction was clearly directed at Carla, but the white cat ignored Happy completely, much to the blue cats disappointment.

"Come this way my dear lady," Hibiki said.

"We will take care of you," Ren said.

"She's cute, and that's enough for me," Eve said. However, Wendy was suddenly whisked away from them, revealing Natsu holding Wendy in his arms.

"Igneel told me to protect her!" Natsu explained, "That means protecting her from perverts."

"Drop her!" Carla ordered, as wings sprouted from her back.

"She's even got wings!" Happy said, "We're so perfect together!"

"I said drop her!" Carla said.

"I wouldn't use those words," Gray said, "Natsu might…" However, instead of literally dropping Wendy, like most people expected him to, Natsu gently set her on the ground.

"Thank you," Wendy said, smiling at Natsu, who smiled back.

"We will now take this time to explain our plan of attack," Ichiya said as he struck a pose. Everyone looked at him, ready for his explanation.

"Right after I go to the restroom and slay another foe," he said, as he scuttled away.

"Too much information!" Gray yelled at him.

**(somewhere)**

"Piri! Piri!"

**(back in the hall)**

"Now, in the northern reaches of the Worth Woodsea, exists the ruins of an ancient civilization. And within those ruins is a terrible magic, known as 'Nirvana'!" Ichiya explained upon returning.

"Nirvana?" Lucy asked.

"Can't say I've heard about it," Lyon said.

"What about you, Jura?" Sherry asked.

"I'm afraid not," the Wizard Saint answered.

"Not much is known about it general," Ren said, "Only that was so powerful, that they sealed it away."

"Nobody knows what kind of magic it was exactly, though," Eve said.

"But considering that the Oracion Seis is assembled in the forest," Hibiki continued, "It stands to reason that Nirvana is their objective."

"Men! Which is why we must defeat them!" Ichiya proclaimed, "And end any threat they pose the magic world!"

"We may have double the numbers," Hibiki said, "But all six of the mages are quite powerful." He then held up his hand, and golden screens appeared.

"That's Archive Magic," Lyon noted, "Got to say you don't see it a lot these days."

"I'm going to take that as a compliment," Hibki said, before six screens lit up, "Now these are the following members of Oracion Seis: Cobra, who seems to have affiliation with snakes; Racer, who, as his name implies, probably has some kind of speed based magic; Hoteye, who will do any terrible deed for the right price; Angel, and don't be deceived by her appearance, they say her heart's blacker than coal; Midnight, and I'll be honest, next to nothing is known to him; and finally, Brain, their leader. Each one of them is quite powerful, and more than capable of destroying a single guild on their own."

"Uh, I should mention that I'm probably not going to do this group any good," Lucy said nervously, raising her hand.

"Me neither!" Wendy said as she rose her hand as well.

"Will you girls both get some courage!" Carla scolded.

"That's all real interesting," Gray said, "But if their strong, what do you propose we do?"

"Patience, man," Ichiya said, "We have a plan, and the key feature of that plan is finding their base."

"Their base?" Lyon asked, "What does that have to do with anything?"

"We aren't certain, but we've got an idea for their bases' location," Ren explained, "Its somewhere deep in the forest."

"The intention is for them to be gathered there," Ichiya said.

"How do we do that?" Sherry asked.

"We beat them up!" Natsu said.

"Calm down!" Lucy scolded, slapping Natsu lightly on the back of the head.

"I also wish to know what your plan is," Erza said.

"We shall use the pride and joy of our guild!" Ichiya proclaimed, "The magic bomber…"

"Christina!" the Trimen said in unison.

"I heard about that," Sherry said, surprised.

"Its supposed to be very powerful," Lyon said.

"A magic bomber against a group of people," Lucy said, "Isn't that overkill?"

"Not with the Oracion Seis it isn't," Jura answered, "If we try going against the Oracion Seis alone, our chances are poor." Lucy shivered at that.

"Alright! I'm all fired up now! " Natsu said, pumping his fist, and starting to run out, "I'll take them all myse… GAH!" Lucy lashed her whip around his neck, and yanked him to the ground. Since becoming his girlfriend, Lucy found herself much more capable against Natsu for some reason. It was a strange feeling.

"Calm down!" Lucy said, "I know you weren't paying attention, but at least wait for the rest of us!"

"Yes… sweetie…" Natsu choked out, as he grabbed at the whip around his neck. Lucy sighed, as she walked over, and unraveled it.

"Let's go!" Natsu said, as he grabbed Lucy's hand, and darted out, dragging Lucy behind her.

"Natsu! What did I just say?!" Lucy cried.

"What, I'm bringing you with me!" Natsu said, "You said wait for you, didn't you?" As Natsu and Lucy moved away, Erza sighed and shook her head.

"We best go after them," she said.

"That idiot," Gray said. With that, Gray and Erza ran after their guild mates.

"We can't let Fairy Tail outdo us!" Lyon said, "Let's go!"

"Yeah!" Sherry piped up, as she followed him.

"That's our cue!" Ren said.

"Trimen away!" three said.

"Come on, Wendy!" Carla said, as she dragged Wendy along.

"Y.. yes," Wendy said nervously.

"Wait for me, Carla!" Happy said.

Jura sighed as the young ones all ran out.

"I feel so old suddenly," he muttered.

"Age is a sweeter parfume than you may think," Ichiya said, as he floated over to Jura.

"Well, we might as well join them," Jura said, "Let's get going."

"Just one question," Ichiya said.

"Yes?"

"You are one of the Ten Wizard Saints, yes?"

"That is correct," Jura answered, arching an eyebrow, wondering where this was going.

"So that means you are one of the mightiest wizards in the kingdom."

"Well, I believe that honor was premature," Jura said, "I am not as great as those such as Makarov Dreyar."

"Is that so?" Ichiya said, before his smile turned dark, "That makes things much easier." He then tossed something at Jura, who caught it. The man looked at it. It was some kind of vial.

"What is…" Jura got his answer premature, as a strange gas emptied out of it, quickly overwhelming him.

"Ichiya, what are you…," Jura began, and that was when Ichiya drove his fist into Jura's gut, sending him falling to his knees. Then, Ichiya flashed in golden light.

"Siri! Siri!" two blue creatures said, as they took Ichiya's place.

"Its good to be back!" one said.

"That Ichiya guy was gross!" the other said.

"Yes, but save the complaining for later." Jura looked over, and saw a woman dressed in white approaching. She was wearing a feathered coat, as she strolled over, her hands on her hips.

"Angel!" Jura hissed at the Oracion Seis member.

"Don't dirty my name with your voice," Angel sneered, "I always had to dirty myself with that filthy man. But now I know your strategy, thanks to Gemini here."

"With our Copy Magic…," one imp said.

"We can read minds!" the other finished.

"Damn… you," Jura said as he collapsed to the ground.

"Two down," Angel hissed, "Ten to go. We'll be done before noon at this rate!"

**Note: I kind of sped up the chapter, and now I'm at the same point as EOTBD. I hope to take them in different directions, but I could use some suggestions on how to differentiate it from canon. Be sure to leave a review.**


	19. Oracion Seis Appears

_**Oracion Seis Appears**_

"I'm all fired up!" Natsu said.

"You already said that," Gray said.

"Natsu, can you put me down now?" Lucy asked. The group, with Natsu in the lead, had set out to begin their mission. They were now all heading towards the forest, and Natsu was carrying Lucy in his arms.

"No way!" Natsu answered, "If these Oracion Seis guys are so dangerous, I ain't letting you out of my sight!"

"I'll be fine!" Lucy protested, "I'll stay close to you!"

"I'm willing to carry her!" Hibiki called up, which was a mistake, as Natsu spat a ball of fire past him.

"Don't you guy's take a hint?" Gray asked, "You're lucky Natsu decided to miss!"

"Keep up Wendy!" Carla said.

"I'm trying!" Wendy responded.

"I'm keeping up too!" Happy said.

"Where's Jura?" Sherry asked.

"I thought he was right behind us," Lyon said.

Up at the front, a shadow fell over Natsu, as he looked up, and stopped. As a result of this, Gray ran into him from behind, sending the two men falling to the ground, with Natsu landing on Lucy.

"Will you watch where you're going on?" Natsu snapped at Gray.

"Will_ you_ not stop so suddenly?" Gray countered.

"Will you_ both_ get off of me?" Lucy asked.

Everyone looked up, and saw a massive airship of some kind, with large wings, and a carving of a horse at the bow. You didn't need to be a genius to tell what is was, and who it belonged to.

"So that's it?" Erza said, with an impressed smile.

"Indeed!" Eve said, "That's the great assault ship, Christina!"

"Wow!" Wendy said, "Its so big!"

"I've got admit that's something," Sherry said with a raised eyebrow.

"But 'Christina'?" Gray asked as he got back up, "Couldn't think of a catchier name?"

"Not looking for your approval," Ren countered.

"Natsu, can you get off me?" Lucy asked. Natsu was still lying on top of her.

"Come on," Natsu said with a grin, "You didn't…" He was abruptly silenced by a Lucy kick to the groin. As Natsu rolled off her in agony, Lucy rose to her feet.

"Sorry, but not in public, lover boy," she said, bending down for him, tussling his hair affectionately. She then got back up straight, and looked up at the airship.

"Well, now that its here, what are we…" She didn't get a chance, when there was a sudden explosion Christina was going down, much to everyone's horror.

"Oh my god!" Wendy cried.

"Christina's been brought down!" Hibiki said.

"How…," Lyon began. From the dust, emerged six figures.

"Someone's coming!" Gray said. Wendy let out a yelp, as she dove behind a rock, much to Carla's displeasure. The dust faded away, revealing the people they had brought Christina in to destroy.

The Oracion Seis stood strong before the group, as they faced down the guild alliance. The light guild members tried to hold their ground, but chances were that most of them were quite intimidated. One of the people that wasn't, was Natsu, whose pain had vanished, and was quickly as Lucy's side, an arm wrapped around her shoulder.

"So, a few bugs have crawled up?" the guy at the lead, who had been identified as Brain, said.

"Light mages are disgustingly predictable, and as such, you're more than easy to incapacitate," the woman, Angel, sneered, "That Wizard Saint and that creep are already such."

"What?!" Lyon said.

"They beat Icihya!" Ren said. If the situation had been different, Lucy would've made a comment how they knew "creep" referred to Ichiya, but this was clearly not the right time.

"I can hear them trembling," the man with the giant snake, Cobra, sneered, "Its more than audible at this point."

"We like to work quickly," the man with the mohawk, Racer, remarked, "But you're slowing us down."

"Money makes a person stronger, yes?" the big guy, Hoteye, mentioned, "So with that in mind…"

"Will you spare us this for once?" Angel asked.

"So I guess that's Midnight?" Lucy asked, "Why is asleep?" Natsu tightened his hold on Lucy instinctively.

"So they acted first?" Erza said, narrowing her eyes, "We didn't think quick enough!" She shot a glance at Natsu, expecting him to charge headlong into battle, but instead, he was staying close to Lucy. _That girl may have been the best thing that happened to him,_ she thought.

"Well, dispatching them is easy enough," Brain said, "Racer, if you will?" In an instant, Racer jetted over to them. Gray and Lyon were the first to move, but they were (understandably) outpaced, as Racer spun around.

"Motor!" Both of the Ice Mages were knocked away.

"Gray!" two Lucy's cried. There was a silence as the Lucy's looked at each other, as their boyfriend stared.

"Two Lucys?" Natsu asked, cocking his head. However, Lucy B quickly lashed out her whip, knocking both of them away.

"That was simple," Angel sneered. The Blue Pegasi and Sherry charged the group, but Hoteye just smiled, and raised his fingers to his eyes.

"With money, nothing else is needed!" Hotter cackled. The ground then swirled up like water, swooping the group away.

"Taste my blades!" Erza said, as she re-quipped into her Bluemblat Armor, and launched several at Cobra, who easily dodged.

"Lucy!" Natsu cried.

"I'm okay!" Lucy said.

"Damn it!" Natsu said, glaring at the group as his chest lit up, and het let loose his fire breath at the dark mage nearest to him, who turned out to be Midnight. However, the fire curved away from Midnight, not a spark touching the sleeping man.

"I'd advise against waking Midnight, it ain't pleasant," Racer said as he materialized behind Natsu, and knocked him away.

"Natsu!" Gray said, as he jumped to help. Gemini then popped up next to him, and they quickly copied, and froze him. None of the other mages were faring particularly well either, as the Oracion Seis members quickly overwhelmed them. Wendy, meanwhile, hid behind her rock, as she struggled, and failed, to overcome her fears. One of the few mages still standing was Erza, who did battle with Cobra.

"Take this!" Erza said, lashing her sword at Cobra, who again managed to dodge no problem, as if he knew here attacks were coming, and exactly what they were. Meanwhile, Racer shot up to Erza, and she had to dodge his attack, after re-quipping into her speed armor.

"So that's Erza Scarlet?" Brain noted with a grin, "I presume you've seen her?"

"Indeed I have," Hoteye answered. Erza still did battle against Cobra and Racer, and as Erza maneuvered out of Racer's quick attack, her attention drifted away from Cobra. In that brief period of distraction, the snake coiled around Cobra struck out, and sank its fangs into her arm.

"Atta a girl, Cubelios," Cobra said with a grin. ERza let out a gasp of pain. The bite itself didn't hurt especially, but there was something else about the bite, something she could feel.

"Her poison won't kill you immediately," Cobra explained cruelly, "Much to the contrary, it will linger, for quite a while I may add." Erza fell to her knees, as the poison began to take its effect. The guild alliance members all lay on the ground now, completely and utterly defeated.

"This was so pathetic I can't even laugh," Brain grumbled, "Weaklings like this, dark or light, don't deserve to exist." He then held up his hand, as dark magic swirled around him.

"Just disappear!" he said.

"This power…," Sherry said.

"What kind of magic is this?" Hibiki asked. Meanwhile, Natsu's fire began to build up around him, but no one was paying attention.

"Dark Rondo!" As the dark magic began to come down, but that was when Brain saw Wendy.

"You!" he said in surprise, as Wendy looked in terror from behind her rock.

"Eh?" The other Oracion Seis guild members looked on in surprise.

"The hell is that?" Cobra asked.

"Do you know her, Brain?" Racer inquired.

"That's the Sky Dragon," Brain noted, his eyes narrowing, as he smiled, "This may bring us some good after all." With that, he held out his staff, which formed a dark hand, and snatched Wendy up.

"Wendy!" Carla cried.

"I'll be taking her now!" Brain said, as the hand retracted back towards him. But just as it was about to reach him, there was a flash of fire, as the hand was severed, much to everyone's surprise.

"Who dares…," Brain growled.

"He managed to overpower Brian's magic?" Angel asked in surprise. When the dust cleared, it showed the figure of Natsu standing there.

"I promised Igneel I'd protect her," Natsu muttered. He was carrying Wendy safe under his arm, and his Eye of the Fire Dragon glowing bright.

"And I can never break a promise to Igneel!" The Oracion Seis were more than surprised that Natsu had managed to repel them, but were even more surprised, when the Dragon Slayer's chest flare dup, and an enormous stream of fire was released that, far greater than they had anticipated. Brain managed to held up his staff, and brought it up to defend. He scowled.

"Damn, when did this guy get so tough?" Cobra said, glaring, and instinctively putting his arm around his snake, Cubelios. Brain scowled.

"No matter," he said, "I'll be taking that girl one way or another." He then spun his staff through his hands, and thrust it into the air.

"Take this!" The dark magic shot upwards before raining down towards them. Natsu got ready to try and form a fire shield, but as it turned out, he wouldn't need too.

"Iron Rock Wall!" Several rock pillars shot out, blocking the attack.

"Jura!" Sherry cried in happiness.

"Damn," Gray said, looking over Jura's handiwork, "That was more than sight." The dust faded, and showed that the Oracion Seis had disappeared.

"Where'd they go?" Natsu said angrily.

"Typical dark mage cowards," Ren growled, "They ran away!" Natsu let out a breath.

"You okay?" he asked Wendy. Wendy just stared up in awe at the man who had saved her, his fiery eye still pulsing, before nodding. Natsu let out a sigh of relief, before setting her back on the ground.

"Wendy!" Carla said, as she flew over, and hugged the Sky Dragon Slayer, "Thank goodness you're safe!"

"You have Natsu to thank for that," Wendy said with a smile.

"And don't forget his sidekick!" Happy said, as he jumped onto Natsu's shoulder. Lucy let out a gasp as she tried to stand up.

"Lucy!" Natsu said, running over to her, "Are you okay?"

"I've been better," Lucy said, before smiling and continuing, "But I've been worse." Natsu smiled, as he pressed his forehead against her own, his Dragon's Eye fading away.

"Good thing you're okay, Jura!" Lyon said.

"Actually I'm not," Jura responded, gesturing to his still bleeding wound, "I would be underneath a different kind of earth if not for Ichiya."

"Men!" Ichiya mused, as he floated up, "Those cowards took one look at us and darted away!" That sounded proud, but he was more than a little beat up himself.

"And now.." He unplugged one of his vials, a scent sliding out of it.

"Smell my wonderful parfume!" he said, "And be healed!" Everyone sniffed it and sure enough…

"The pain's going away," Sherry said.

"This is quite nice," Lucy said.

"Speak for yourself," Natsu said, as his sensitive nose couldn't take it as well as the others could.

"This is our fault," Jura said, "We should've expected a lot more than what we did."

"What do we do now?" Eve asked.

"I think I know," Carla said, glancing over. Everyone follow her look, and saw Erza leaning against the tree, grabbing her envenomated arm.

"How can my parfume not be affecting her?" Ichiya asked dramatically.

"It is quite a mystery, Lord!" the Trimen said.

"She's been poisoned!" Happy said obviously, "Don't you have any antidotes?"

"Yes, but none of them probably strong enough to cure venom of that calibre," Ichiya answered, no longer posing, apparently recognizing the seriousness of the situation.

"Lucy!" Erza called.

"Yes?" the blonde answered, as she trotted up. Her answer was Erza ripping her belt off, causing her skirt to fall to the ground. The Trimen all turned red, but Lucy was quickly put behind Natsu.

"I can't leave the fight this early! Someone!" Erza said, as she tired the belt around her arm, "Take off my arm!" She then tossed a sword in front of the group to illustrate her point.

"You mean…," Happy began.

"What do you think she means?" Carla said. There was a silence, before everyone gasped in shock at that request, save for one guy.

"I don't think anyone in Fairy Tail has the guts to do this, Wendy's too young, and Blue Pegasus is too squeamish, so I'll do it," Lyon said as he picked up the sword, and approached Erza.

"Lyon!" Gray yelled.

"We can't let her die," Lyon said, as he held up the sword.

"But…," Lucy began.

"How naive are you?" Sherry scolded.

"Don't you talk like you know us!" Lucy responded.

"This is going way to far!" Eve protested.

"Surely you're against this!" Ren said to Jura.

"If this didn't come from Ms. Erza herself, I'd be the first to protest," Jura answered. With that, Lyon prepared to bring down the sword, but as it did, it was caught by Natsu. He then lit up his fire, and melted the sword down.

"Her arm is more important than her life, for her?" Lyon asked coldly.

"There's always another way," Natsu responded, "Its a code my guild lives by." At that moment, Erza collapsed to the ground, barely conscious, if at all.

"Erza!" Lucy and Happy cried together.

"What do we do?" Eve asked, "If the poison continues…"

"I have a proposition," Carla said. All eyes turned to the cat, who was now standing next to Wendy, who was staring at the ground. Carla looked up at Wendy.

"Wendy, you can save her," she said.

"She can?" Natsu asked.

"Yes she can," Carla clarified, as Wendy remained silent, "Part of Sky Dragon Slayer magic, is its ability to heal."

"But that's my job!" Ichiya piped up.

"Well then, consider yourself thoroughly outclassed." Everyone stared at Wendy.

"I… I don't know," she said slowly, "Most of my healing is for small injuries, not bad poisonings like this."

"You've got to!" Gray said, "You've got to save Erza!" Wendy whimpered slightly at that.

"Way to not put pressure on her," Lucy scolded. Natsu walked up Wendy, and fell to one knee, and put his hand on her head. Wendy looked up in surprise. The Fire Dragon smiled at her.

"Never sell yourself short," he said, "You were sent here, weren't you? That means you're good, right?" Wendy just looked up at Natsu's smile. She couldn't explain it, but there was something about that smile. It felt so, assuring, as if Natsu had all the answers she needed. A smile crept on her face.

"Okay, I'll do it!" she said.

"Better do it fast!" Jura said, "I can't guarantee how long Ms. Erza will still be here." With that, Wendy hurried over, and began her work.

"Can I have my belt back now?"

**(somewhere in the forest)**

In the lair of the Oracion Seis, the members were assembled to discuss their next action.

"Well, I'd say that was more or less a success," Angel commented.

"Far from it," Brain answered, "They're all still alive, and we failed to capture Wendy."

"So?" Racer asked, "What's so important about her?"

"Is she worth something?" Hoteye asked.

"In a sense," Brain answered.

"How much?!"

"Not in that sense," Cobra said. Brain scowled, as he clenched his fist.

"I seriously thought we had struck gold there," he said, "Now we're going to have to use our original method."

"Come on, who was she?" Cobra demanded. Brain turned to face his warriors.

"She had the means by which to accomplish one of the most important pieces of our mission," he explained. Everyone knew what that meant.

"Isn't that what the Ut Resugart was for?" Angel asked.

"That ritual is slower, and less efficient," Brain said, "And I would have preferred using the canon fodder to slow our enemies advance, instead of for sacrifices. But that damn…" Dark magic flared around him, as everyone took a step back. Brain took a breath, as he calmed himself.

"It doesn't matter at this point," he said, "We'll have to continue with the original plan." He then looked towards a large coffin that stood before him.

"Once we resurrect Jellal, everything will come together."

**Note: I figured one way to deviate from canon was for Wendy to not be captured by Oracion Seis. It may not be much, but hey, its a start. I could still use some additional ideas on how to differ from canon, and it has to be more than just changing who fights who.**

**With "I See Fire in the Sky" having completed its first arc, I intend to work more on this story, as well as EOTBD. Be sure to review, and check out "I See Fire in the Sky".**


	20. Into the Woodsea

_**Into the Woodsea**_

The Oracion Seis had opted to build their hideout in the ruins of an ancient civilization, specifically where the ancients would go to worship, and "speak" with the gods. At the moment, the dark guild was performing the Ut Resugart ritual. The six looked on as dark mages dressed in black cloaks stood around a large sarcophagus, performing a chant, as the sarcophagus glowed.

"How long is this going to take? We have to be fast," Racer said.

"Doesn't the Ut Resugart take days to complete?" Angel asked.

"Normally, but what we're doing will take less time," Brain answered.

"I can't believe more people don't market this power to raise the dead, they could make an infinite amount of money!" Hoteye said.

"Don't be a fool, the Ut Resugart doesn't bring people back to life," Brain responded, "It is performed on those who are technically still alive, but trapped in a different state, and returns them to their natural state. We will be done soon enough."

"If that's true, then what did you want that girl for anyway?" Cobra asked, as he scratched Cubelios under the chin, and received an affectionate nuzzle in return.

"She was the Sky Dragon Slayer," the leader explained, "As such, she possessed a power that since faded. Healing Magic."

"The Lost Magic?" Angel asked.

"That is quite valuable, oh yeah!," Hoteye mused.

"So that's why you wanted her, to resurrect Jellal?" Cobra said, "That would've been a lot quicker."

"It doesn't matter," Brain said, "Make do with what you have, and as things stand, this is what we have. In the mean time, we must continue looking for Nirvana."

"We should split up," Cobra said, "We can cover more ground that way."

"What say we make a bet about it?" Angel said with a smile, "First one to find Nirvana gets…"

"A million jewels? Oh yeah!" Hoteye said.

"I was going to say gets the first kill," Angel said.

"I for one, would like to take another look at that blonde," Cobra said with a dark grin, "I could hear something strange about her." Brain just watched the ritual proceed as his subordinates bickered, and in one case, slept.

"Once we complete this, it probably won't matter," he muttered.

**(at the edge of the Woodsea)**

Wendy had begun the process of healing Erza, her body giving off a light blue glow as she did. The others watched on in silence.

"Do you know how long this takes?" Jura asked, "Not that we're rushing you of course, take all the time you may need."

"This will probably take a while," Wendy admitted, "This poison is powerful."

"Very well then," Jura said, "Some of us should probably go ahead." People vocalized their agreements to that.

"Who goes with who?" Eve asked.

"We should probably corresponding by guild," Lyon said, "That'll probably get the best teamwork."

"I'll stay here," Lucy said, "I'll keep an eye on Wendy and Erza."

"Then I'll stay as well," Hibki said, "I'll keep an eye on these lovely women."

"Hell no!" Natsu roared. Everyone started at Natsu, as he wrapped one arm around Lucy, and another around Wendy, briefly causing a pause in her healing magic.

"I ain't leaving my girlfriend, or my little sister, with one of the perverts!" he declared. That surprised people, not for Natsu being protective of Lucy and Wendy, since both of those had already been established.

"'Little sister'?" Wendy echoed.

"And what do you mean by that?" Carla demanded.

"I promised Igneel I'd protect her," Natsu declared, "And the best way to protect her, is to make her my little sister!" People stared at Natsu's declaration, as Wendy looked up at Natsu with wide eyes.

"That is admirable," Jura said with a respectful nod, "But you will be needed within the forest. I'm afraid you must be there to help us."

"But…," Natsu began.

"Natsu," Lucy said sternly, as she wormed her way out of Natsu's grip, and put her finger against his forehead, "If this relationship is to work, you can't constantly be clinging onto me, I'm a grown woman." Natsu pouted again as he looked away. Lucy sighed, as she touched his cheek, and guided him back over to her.

"I'll be fine," she said.

"And you don't need to worry," Hibiki said, with a smile at Natsu, "You have my word as a Pegasus, that no harm will come to these girls while I'm with them." Natsu was silent, but he could see something in Hibki's eyes. The man was being serious.

"Fine then," he relented.

"Thank you," Lucy said, as she kissed him on the cheek, "And don't worry, I'll keep an eye on Wendy." After settling things, the groups all got together.

"Men!" Ichiya said, "Let us embark on our quest!" With that, the group set out. Happy, under Natsu's instruction, stayed with Lucy.

"I'll protect you from the pervert!" he said firmly, standing on Lucy's head.

"Save it," Lucy said, removing him, and setting him on the ground, and looking at Hibki, "I'm honestly kinda surprised Natsu was willing to let you go." Hibiki, who had activated his Archive, and was looking over some files, looked back and smiled.

"We Trimen talk a lot, but we know a taken girl when we see one," he said, "We don't go ruining relationships. Or messing with a guy's little sister." Wendy flushed red, as she resumed her work

"Wow, so you're Natsu's little sister now?" Happy asked.

"I don't think so," Carla protested, "The situation is clearly not appropriate."

"Well…," Wendy said. In all honesty, the idea didn't sound that bad. True, she didn't know much about Natsu, but there was something about Natsu that she trusted.

"Lucy," Wendy said, as she briefly looked up at the blonde.

"Yes?"

"If you're Natsu's girlfriend, does that make you my big sister?" she asked. Lucy probably should've said "no", but looking at Wendy's face, and her hopeful eyes…

"Maybe," she answered, putting her hand on the younger girl's shoulder.

**(in the woods)**

"I hope Lucy and Wendy are alright," Natsu said, looking towards the direction he came from.

"You've only been gone for a couple minutes," Gray said, "They'll be fine." Natsu pouted at that. The fire and ice mages had gone out into the forest to look for the Oracion Seis base.

"Come to think of it, where did the whole little sister thing for that Wendy girl come from?" Gray asked.

"Didn't I already say why?" Natsu responded, "I made a promise to Igneel that I would protect her. So in order to do that, I decided to make her my little sister."

"I don't know if it works like that," Gray said, "I don't think you can make a girl your little sister just like that. Not to mention she's in a different guild."

"That doesn't mean she can't be my little sister," Natsu said firmly. Gray sighed, as he shook his head. No point trying to dissuade him at this point.

"Well…," he began, but they were interrupted, with a dark mist suddenly floated through the area they were standing in.

"The hell is this?" Natsu said, "Its turning the trees black."

"That's the influence of Nirvana." Gray and Natsu looked around in surprise.

"I know that voice," Natsu muttered. From the trees, a group of men dropped down to the ground from the trees.

"Its him again," one guy said.

"You know these guys, Natsu?" Gray asked.

"When I was going to help Lucy save her dad, these guys had taken everyone hostage," Natsu explained, "They're not tough."

"These must be the sub-guilds of Oracion Seis," Gray said. Natsu then looked over the people again.

"Why do they all look like monkeys?" he asked.

"Its that bastard from Love and Lucky!" a bald guy yelled.

"Shut the hell up!" one of the guys, who had an afro, yelled, "We're Naked Mummy! We're the Masters! I'm Zatou!"

"And I'm Gatou! We used to be under the hegemony of Lord Frieze," one guy, who had long hair that stood up, continued, "But we changed to Oracion Seis, because they promise power."

"Now let's beat them up!" the afro guy said.

"Well this will serve as a good warm up," Gray said, as he took off his shirt.

"You don't warm up," Natsu said, cracking his knuckles, "That's what I do." His chest then flared up.

**(with Blue Pegasus)**

The other guilds, as thing turned out, were going through something not entirely dissimilar. Blue Pegasus was under attack by a dark guild as well.

"What's Black Unicorn doing there?" Eve asked.

"And what kind of name is that?" Ren said. Both men seemed oblivious to the similarities their guild's name had with it.

"Come to think of it, where's Master?"

**(somewhere)**

"I'm warning you!" Ichiya said quickly, as he lay against a rock, dark mages surrounding him, "You wouldn't like me when I'm angry!"

"What are you going to do, turn green and beat us up?" one guy asked.

"MEN!"

**(with Lamia Scale)**

Lamia Scale was in battle with a dark guild known as Medusa Lock.

"I've dealt with these brutes before," Jura said to his guild mates as he took a battle stance, "I will do the work. You must save your strength."

"You kidding?" Lyon responded, "And let Fairy Tail show us up? No way I can do that!"

"And I won't let my love be bound!" Sherry said with a smile, as she also took a stance.

**(with Natsu and Gray)**

"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!" Natsu said, as he slammed his fist into the nearest foe, sending the man careening away. He then whirled around, and let loose his fire breath, blasting another group of them away.

Meanwhile, Gray was doing more or less the same thing, only with ice. He grabbed one guy by the head, and promptly froze it. He then threw the frozen guy into a second man who was stupid enough to try and charge them.

"Take this you bastard!" the bald guy said, firing at Natsu with his magic gun. Natsu turned to face him, as he breathed more fire, melting the bullets, and consuming the fool in the flames.

"Damn that guy!" Zatou said.

"We'll take him down!" Gatou said. The two then leapt at Natsu, who turned to them with a grin. He then brought his hands together, as he concentrated a massive amount of fire into on orb.

"Fire Dragon's Meteor!" he said, as he through the orb at them.

**(at the edge of the forest)**

There was the sound of a light explosion in the distance. Everyone looked in the direction, and saw a thin trail of smoke rising into the sky.

"What's that?" Wendy asked, as she continued healing Erza. The progress was quickly beginning to show, as the purple tint began to fade from her arm, and color began to return to her face.

"That would be Natsu," Happy said smiling.

"Natsu did that?" Hibiki said.

"That's right," Lucy said, smiling.

"I've a sneaking suspicion that he was being excessive," Carla said.

"Knowing Natsu, that probably was," Happy answered.

"I'm never going to flirt with either of you again," Hibki said to Lucy and Wendy. The two both flushed a deep crimson.

**(in the ruins)**

Brain looked over his shoulder, as he heard the explosion. He frowned.

"Enough, this is going to have to do!" he said, looking towards the ritual.

"But more Lord, if we stop now then he won't be complete!" one of the performers said.

"Will his magic be present?"

"Well yes…"

"Then that's good enough," Brain said, as he looked over the ritual. He counted twelve mages.

"That'll do," he said. Before the mages could do anything, Brain thrust his staff at them. The dark energy was upon them before they were even aware what was happening.

**(with Natsu and Gray)**

Gray dusted his hands off, as he looked over the remnants of battle. He noticed Natsu, who had smoke leaking out of the corner of his mouth, walking towards one of the downed mages, and heaving him up.

"Where's the Oracion Seis hideout?" he demanded.

"I'd rather get incinerated by you than punished by Brain!" the man yelled.

"That can be arranged," Natsu said, as he grinned, and his chest lit up.

"Trust me, his girlfriend and sister aren't here to keep him cool," Gray said. He normally wouldn't play along with Natsu, but they needed to make progress. The Dragon Slayer licked his lips enticingly, as curls of steam snaked out of his mouth. The glow spread to his throat, and into he back of his mouth.

The dark mage continued to try and resist, but when he saw Natsu open his mouth, and the glow within it, he relented.

"Okay!" he cried, "Okay! They're just West from here! There are some ruins, that's where you can find them!" Natsu looked him over, before closing his mouth, and letting the glow die down.

"Thank you," he answered with a grin, before head butting him unconscious, and dropping him. He and Gray then started running in the direction given.

However, as they were running, something suddenly knocked them both to their feet. There was a flash, as the two looked around.

"Where the hell is this coming from?" Natsu yelled.

"You guys don't know when to give up," Racer said, as he appeared on a tree.

"Its that speed mage!" Gray said.

"I've got far better things to do than go dealing with you two whimps!" Racer said, as he glared down at the duo.

"Damn!" Natsu said, as his chest glowed.

"Simmer down!" Gray said.

"Don't steal Lucy's line!" Natsu said right back.

"I'll take this guy," Gray said, tuning to face Racer, "You focus on getting down there!" Natsu looked over Gray, before taking a breath.

"Don't lose, Frosty!" he ordered.

"Don't go ordering me around," Gray responded.

With that, Natsu continued running, leaving Gray and Racer behind.

Eventually, Natsu arrived at the edge of a large ravine. He cracked everything he could crack, and preemptively lit up his chest, before sliding down the walls. As Natsu landed, he noticed a cave. He slammed his fist into his hand.

"I'm all fired up now!" he said.

**(in the cave)**

Brain was fortunate he didn't mind the sight of dead bodies. The smell though was quite annoying.

The coffin glowed, as the Ut Resugart was completed. True, it was not complete, but it was enough, and Brain was generally willing to opt for enough.

Midnight, meanwhile, continued sleeping.

"Hey! You tattooed ass!" Brain turned, and saw Natsu standing before him.

"It seems I have an infestation of lizards," he grumbled, before turning his attention away, "But no matter. Its been done." With that, the coffin fell away, as Natsu charged, his hands eclipsed in fire. But that was when he saw him.

The coffin clattered to the ground, revealing the resident. He was tall, with blue hair, and a red mark on his eye. A figure Natsu knew all to well.

"Jellal," he said.

**Note: I wonder what the strange thing Cobra heard about Lucy was.**

**Sorry if Natsu and Wendy's dynamic felt rushed, but this was my plan from the get-go, and I figured no reason not to do it sooner rather than later. Some of you might remember "Ut Resugart" from EOTBD.**

**On an unrelated note, I need some reassurance that people still like **_**Fairy Tail**_**. I know that it is popular, seeing as its constantly in the top five most read series on most manga sites, and its consistently rated 4.5/5 or 9/10, so its clearly considered good by the majority, but they aren't vocal enough (its my personal favorite). Come on people, we have to defend what we like!**

**Be sure to review.**


	21. Dead Grand Prix

_**Dead Grand Prix**_

Natsu stayed still, as he stared at his old enemy, the first to be burned by the fire of Dragon's Eye. Steam leaked out of his mouth, and his chest glowed.

"Jellal," he growled. The blue haired man stared down the pink haired man. Natsu could see something in his eyes, something far away. However, Natsu's anger overtook his reason, as one might expect.

"Jellal," he muttered, before springing forward, his fist cloaked in fire, "What are you doing here?!" Unfortunately, Jellal, not changing his serious expression, and held up his hand. A blast of magic energy exploded from it, blasting Natsu away, and into a wall. The Fire Dragon Slayer looked up, as he glared.

"Fine then, I'll just do what I did before," Natsu growled, as he started channeling his fire towards his eye, so as to use Dragon's Eye.

"Its that power," Brain noticed, remembering the way Natsu had managed to tear through his dark magic. He took his battle stance, but Jellal remained silent, as he stared at Natsu.

"Eye of the…," Natsu began, only for the fire to suddenly break off. He blinked in surprise.

"Wha…," he whispered. He couldn't use Dragon's Eye.

"That was quite impressive," Brain said with a grin, "Now Jellal…" He wasn't able to finish, as Jellal waved his hand, sending Brain careening away. He then looked towards the still sleeping Midnight, narrowing his eyes, but walking away, out of the cave.

Natsu emerged from the rubble, looking around.

"Where's that bas…," he began. However, not seeing anyone, he ran out of the cave to go look for Jellal. As he was running back up the hill, his mind briefly went to Gray's battle, since there was no sign of him.

Meanwhile, Brain rose to his feet, as he glared in Jellal's direction.

"I suppose I should have expected this, seeing as he was unrestrained," he muttered to himself, "Though he never was this hostile to me, at least not outwardly." The dark master ran through his mind about possibilities.

"In his previous state was he able to…," then it dawned on him, "That son of a bitch intends to keep Nirvana for himself! Damned if I let him have it!" Brain then held his head up.

"Cobra!" he yelled, "I know you can hear me! Track down Jellal, and follow him! He will lead you to Nirvana!"

**(somewhere in the Woodsea)**

Cobra grinned.

"I can hear Jellal already," he said. Cubelios flicked her tongue menacingly.

**(further in the Woodsea)**

Gray let out a grunt, as he was smashed into a rock. He looked up, and was just barely able to dodge another strike from Racer.

"Damn that guy's fast!" Gray growled, as he watched Racer flash across the branches, as he skidded to a halt on one of them.

"My codename is Racer," he said, "Why do you think I'm called that?" Gray rose to his feet, as he cracked his neck, and took a battle stance.

"Well, maybe I should slow you down somewhat?" he said.

"In the list of impossible things, that's certainly among them," Racer said.

"That's what they all say." With that, Gray lunged forward.

"Ice Make: Sword!" He then swung the blade at Racer, only for the Speed Mage to dematerialize at one point, and reappear behind Gray, kicking him in the back.

"Too slow," he said.

"Try this, then!" Gray responded, "Ice Make: Arrows!" Racer darted in between the arrows, as he advanced on Gray.

"Ice Make: Shield!" However, Racer simply jetted around the shield, and punched him several times in the face. This knocked Gray back, and as he tried getting back, he ran his brain for options. There was no chance he was going to be able to outpace Racer, it was simply impossible. Maybe his thinking was wrong. Racer's power probably lay with his speed, which meant that a good chunk of it lay with his feet. So if his feet could be removed from the equation…

"Ice Make Floor!" The ground in the vicinity froze solid.

"Try running through this!" Gray said confidently. Racer, not inclined to stop, zoomed back in Gray's direction, but suddenly lost his balance. While he kept his footing, he skidded to the side, as he looked up, and glared at Gray menacingly.

"Seems like I was manage to slow you down," Gray said, "What say you and I have a more fair fight?"

"Being fair just slows people down," Racer said, as he held up his hands, "Now, what say we end this quicker?" He then clapped his hands, and at first, Gray didn't notice anything, but then he started hearing what sounded like an engine being revved up. He looked into the trees, and saw lights.

"Are those…," Gray began, only to have to avoid nearly getting plowed over by a motorcycle as it whizzed passed him, "The hell!" There were several, about seven, motorcycles without riders. All of them were green, with a demonic visage at the front. Gray tried to jump out of the way, only to barely avoid getting struck with another going past him. There was an eighth, that was bright red, with large horns. Racer jumped onto that one.

"Go ahead and try avoiding them!" he sneered, "These things are just as fast as I am!" Gray, thinking fast, formed an ice barrier surrounding him to shield himself. However, it wasn't a permanent solution, as Gray could both see and hear the ice beginning to crack. _Come on, Fullbuster, think!_ Gray thought _The answer is probably staring you right in the face!_

As he was thinking, the ice gave way, and Gray had to dodge a motorcycle coming at him. As he landed on the ground, a lightbulb went off in Gray's head.

"Why not?" he said, as he stood up straight, and looked at the next motorcycle coming in his direction. The moment it was close enough, Gray leapt into the air, and reached the handlebar. Luck was apparently on his side, as he managed to get a solid grip on it, and managed to hoist himself onto the motorcycle.

"The hell!" Racer said, looking over his shoulder, seeing Gray riding one of his motorcycles.

"Come on!" Gray yelled with a smirk, "Really nobody you've ever fought has thought of this?"

"Actually plenty of people have," Racer admitted, "None of them succeeded though."

"I do like being the first guy in things!" Gray said, "And I intend to be first in this race!"

"You really think you can outpace me?" Racer said with his own smirk.

"I know I can!" Racer's smirk turned into a sneer.

"Fine then, let the Dead Grand Prix begin!" he declared.

**(with Lamia Scale)**

As the last dark mage was knocked down, courtesy of Sherry, the Lamia Scale goers looked over the damage.

"That took too long," Jura said, "We should've been spending our time looking for the Oracion Seis."

"Well, its done now," Lyon said, "Now, which direction should we head?"

"Well, I was thinking…," Jura was interrupted, as he sensed something, and turned his head in a different direction.

"Go now" he instructed.

"What?" Sherry began.

"I can feel a great magical presence coming," Jura explained, " and I can't allow you to get caught in this battle."

"Is it one of them?" Lyon asked.

"Most certainly," Jura said, "Now go. Look for the others. Fairy Tail would be the best bet."

"Just follow the sound of destruction," Lyon commented with a smirk, "What else? Let's go Sherry!" With that, he began running into a different part of the forest.

"I'm right behind!" Sherry echoed, as she ran after Lyon. Jura then turned in the direction of the magical presence, and prepared to face his enemy.

**(with Natsu)**

For what it was worth, Natsu was a pretty good tracker. He could smell anything anywhere, but the catch was that he needed a scent. And for some bizarre reason, Jellal didn't have a scent.

"Damn you, Jellal!" Natsu cried, venting his anger at the sky in the form of a fireball. His anger, however, attracted some unwanted distractions. Natsu suddenly looked alert, as he caught a harpoon that was shot at him. He looked behind him, and saw a group of dark mages jumping down the from the trees.

"Awe come on!" Natsu said, "I've got better things to do now!"

"When we're done with you, you won't be able to even twitch!" one dark mage said, as he charged Natsu, whose chest just flared up. In a flash of fire, his enemies were on the ground. Natsu then hoisted the only conscious one up.

"Alright, start talking!" he ordered, "Where's Jellal?!"

"Dead, right?" the dark mage answered. Natsu noticed that this guy didn't seem to be lying. He genuinely didn't know where Jellal was.

"Screw you then!" Natsu said, as he dropped him, and went to continue looking.

"What does it matter?" the mage snorted. Natsu looked over his shoulder.

"You're about to be short another few members!" Natsu put his foot on the man's chest, as he glared down at him.

"The hell's that's supposed to mean?" he demanded.

"Why should I tell you?" Natsu's eyes narrowed, before he held up his hand, which was cloaked in fire. That was enough for this coward.

"Lady Angel is going after the group that stayed behind!" he said quickly, "She's going to knock them all out of the game now!" Time stopped for Natsu, as those words sunk in. Two of his closest friends, his sister (or at least the girl he considered his sister), and his girlfriend were all there. Erza was still too weak to fight most likely, and if this Angel was this tough, Lucy and Wendy probably didn't have much of a chance. As for the Blue Pegasus guy (Natsu didn't bother to remember his name), Natsu didn't know him well enough to trust him this much. That of course left the cats, but somehow Natsu doubted they'd be much help in a battle.

Cringing, Natsu looked in the direction he was initially going, before clenching his teeth.

"Sorry everyone!" he said, before turning, and running back towards where the remaining people were.

**(with Gray)**

Only with a member of Fairy Tail, could a battle on motorcycles become even more intense.

"Ice Make: Javelins!" Large shafts made of ice rained down over Racer, though Racer easily navigated through them. In that moment, where his attention was diverted, Gray followed up quickly by forming a crossbow made of ice.

"Try this on for size Speedy!" Gray hissed, as he fired it at Racer. It got quite close, but all of sudden, Racer held up his hand, and caught the ice bolt.

"Too slow!" Racer snapped back, "You're going to have to do a whole lot more to take me down!" Gray cringed, as he rode after Racer. The motorcycle was rather quickly sapping his magic energy, which seemed to be Racer's plan. Especially since Racer was not showing a single trace of slowing down at all.

At this point, there wasn't anything else for Gray to do other than continue chasing. As he was, he zoomed into a canyon, only to be very abruptly stopped.

"KYAH!" Sherry cried as she instinctively shielded herself as Gray ground to a halt.

"Gray?" Lyon asked.

"Will you guys get out of my way, he's getting away!"

"You mean that guy from Oracion Seis?"

"No, that guy from the pizza place in Magnolia," Gray said sarcastically, "Now move!" With that, he move his motorcycle past them. However, as he was, he heard Sherry cry out, causing him to look back, and see Lyon on the back of his motorcycle.

"Don't tell me your so arrogant as to take on this guy all by yourself?" Lyon commented.

"You guys need to look for Nirvana!" Gray protested, "I can at the very least keep this guy busy!" Lyon smirked, as he put his hands together.

"And together, we can take this guy down!"

**Note: Sorry this chapter was so short, but I wanted to space out the fight with Racer a little more, give the story a little more structure. Also sorry for the lack of updates, but I was kind of in a funk after being seriously flamed on YouTube by one of those guys who hated Fairy Tail, and thinks himself superior for it. I'm serious, I saw him all over one video that had listed Fairy Tail in the top 10, and insulting everyone who said they enjoyed FT. Seriously, why don't more fans defend what they like?**

**All that said, next chapter will probably finish off Gray and Lyon's fight, and then move on to Lucy, but how the battle with be changed with Wendy we have to wait and see. Be sure to review.**


	22. Running on Thin Ice

_**Running on Thin Ice**_

As Gray and Lyon rushed down the trail on the motorcycle, as Racer jetted in front of them.

"So what's the plan?" Lyon asked.

"Beat him," Gray answered, "What else?"

"I was hoping for some more details," Lyon responded.

"Then it sucks for you!" Gray countered, "I've got to drive, you attack!"

"Fine!" Lyon said, as he put his hands together. Gray took notice of that, and he remembered back to Galuna Island.

"You're using two hands!"

"Of course!" Lyon answered with a smile, "That's how Ul taught us, isn't it?" Gray couldn't help but smile at that as well.

"Ice Make: Eagle!" Lyon said as a swarm of eagles made out of ice formed, and swarmed towards Racer. They hit on point, destroying Racer's motorcycle.

"Nice job!" Gray said.

"Don't get relax yet!" Lyon said. That was when Racer appeared behind the two, having jumped off the motorcycle before the eagles it.

"You destroyed my ride!" Racer said, "You know you've got too pay!" He then kick down, destroying the motorcycle. As the ice mages were knocked away, they both put their hands together.

"Ice Make…"

"Ape!" An enormous ape made out of ice sprung up behind Racer, and punched down at him. Racer managed to dodge.

"Hammer!" As Racer was dodging the ape, a hammer made out of ice appeared over him, which eh mangled to avoid as well.

"Good, but it ain't good enough!" Racer said, as he kicked them both away, "If you want to beat me, you're going have to be as fast as light!" With that, he flashed away again.

"What do we do now?" Gray asked.

"What about freezing the ground?" Lyon said.

"Already tried that!" Gray said, "I think he's too fast for that as well!" Lyon noticed Racer starting to come at them.

"He's coming now!" he said, "We've got to do this together! Now focus!"

"I'd say we got to keep cool, but we're ice mages, cool is part of our identity!" Gray said. And with that, he and Lyon both ripped off their shirts.

"The hell are they stripping for?" Racer muttered to himself. Meanwhile, Sherry, who had followed them, was watching from the trees. _Lyon is stripping!_ she thought_ It must be out of love!_

"Now try this!" Gray said, "Ice Make: Geyser!" The attack forced Racer into the air.

"Ice Make: Snow Dragon!" Lyon said. A dragon made out of ice lashed out at Racer, who managed to twist out of the way.

"He still managed to dodge all that!" Gray said. They were all then pummeled again by Racer.

"Give it up!" Racer said, "Shoot all the ice you want, you'll never be able to take me down!" Lyon collapsed to the ground, and looked up, and that's when he noticed something. Something about the birds flying over them.

"Don't forget that I'm the fastest guy in Earthland!" Racer said, "Now I think its time I end this!"

"But not before we end this ourselves!" Lyon said.

"What are you talking about?" Gray said.

"I figured out how to beat him."

**(at Fairy Tail)**

"Finally some information," Makarov said as he looked over the papers.

"About the Oracion Seis?" Mirajane asked.

"Indeed," Makarov answered, "Apparently this Brain character worked for the Bureau of Magical Development." That caught Mirajane off guard. The Bureau was a tight organization. Not many people got access into it.

"Really? Do they know his identity?"

"The Council is looking into it, but there isn't much yet," Makarov explained, "What is known is that Brain was looking into the R System, which in turn, and ties to the Tower of Heaven."

"As in that thing Jellal was building?" Mirajane asked.

"The same. It seems that cursed tower will never truly leave us."

"Could Brain be planning to continue Jellal's work?" Mirajane said with a frown.

"That's a definite possibility," Makarov answered, "And if that is the case, then all of Earthland is in danger." Mirajane looked at Makarov, before smiling.

"Well, don't forget, our strongest team is out fighting him and his lackeys," she said hoping to lighten the mood, "So I think we'll be fine, assuming they don't destroy the world themselves." Makarov let out a sigh as he took another swig of ale.

"You kids are going to be drive me to a grave."

**(with Gray and Lyon)**

Sherry watched in apprehension as Gray and Lyon muttered to each other. She couldn't help but wonder what their plans were at this point.

"Alright, got it?" Lyon asked.

"You're kidding right?" Gray said quickly.

"Not in the least." With that, he encased Gray in ice, which rose into the air, much to the surprise of the onlookers.

"Are you crazy!" Sherry cried out.

"The hell is this guy's game?" Racer muttered, more to himself.

"You idiot!" Gray yelled from within the ice, "There's no way you can take this guy alone!"

"Just sit back and watch," Lyon said, as he turned to face Racer.

"So all that talk about friends I hear legal guilds hold so highly is just that, talk?" Racer asked.

"Well we're not friends," Lyon answered, "We just studied together on the same master."

"You can't take him alone!" Sherry said as she ran up to him.

"We don't need Fairy Tail's help," Lyon said firmly, "Lamia Scale will take down this bastard!"

"You guys really think you of all people can take me?" Racer inquired.

"Marionette!" Sherry said, "Rock Doll!" A large golem of earth emerged from the ground, and lunged at Racer, though he easily avoided the attacks.

"Try this then, Wood Doll!" Several trees suddenly uprooted themselves, and advanced on Racer, though the Speed Mage again mangled to avoid the attack, and got ready to strike at Sherry, only to be distracted by a dragon made out of ice.

"Over here snail!" Lyon called as he retreated.

"You calling me a snail?" Racer sneered, as he shot at Lyon, "You're the only snail here, and I intend to crush you like one!"

"Not if your attacks don't have any power!" Lyon countered, "Ice Make: Armor!" Spiky armor then formed around Lyon's body, forcing Racer to stop.

"Go ahead, try and attack me! You're only going to be skewering yourself!" As Lyon continued falling back, Racer grinned.

"Alright, punk," he said, "Let's take this to the next gear!" With that, his body glowed red, as he suddenly materialized in front of Lyon, where there wasn't any armor. He then kicked Lyon in the chest, knocking him away.

"Lyon!" Sherry cried.

"You think I was always using my full power?" Racer asked, as he watched Lyon run again. With that, he began viciously pummeling the Ice Wizard, as Lyon continued to retreat further and further, until finally, he was completely knocked to the ground. And before he could do anything else, a shooting pain went through his leg as he cried out.

"This will keep you from running any more. You know, it always frustrates me to take out talented guys," Racer commented, as he pulled out his knife from Lyon's leg, "For what its worth this ain't personal. You got in our way, and the Oracion Seis don't like being slowed down in anyway." He then put the knife against Lyon's throat.

"Six demons, six pillars, six prayers," he continued, "No one ever has, or evil will topple us." That was when Racer heard Lyon chuckling. His eyes narrowed behind his sunglasses.

"Trying to take death smiling?" he asked.

"Of course not," Lyon said, "Much to the contrary, I'm not taking death at all. Because I'm afraid I got you right where I want you."

"That's what they all say," Racer countered.

"Perhaps, but I'm afraid you truly are. I figured out your magic back when I was with Gray. I saw how fast the birds were flying, and that's when I realized it," Lyon explained. Racer's eyes widened. _It can't be…_

"You're not moving fast, we're all just moving slow," Lyon sneered, "You have a radius where your magic affects others, allowing you to slow down their perception of time, causing them to perceive you as fast. Face it 'Racer', you're no faster than anyone else. And now that the radius has changed…" A glint then appeared at the distance, and Racer saw the spire of ice that Lyon had created.

"Gray's got an exact shot." Up atop the spire, Gray stood, having created a bow out of ice.

"I still think this could've been done differently," he muttered to himself.

"So all this time, you were just setting up a sniper position?" Racer said.

"Take a guess slowpoke," Lyon sneered. With a cry, Gray released his arrow, which shot at Racer. There was nothing Racer could do, it was too far away to do anything about it, and he… wasn't fast enough.

_My prayrer, is to be faster than anyone else._

**(with Brain)**

Brain noticed one of his tattoos fade away as he doubled over.

"Racer has fallen," he said, "This can't be. How can one of the Oracion Seis lose to one of this vermin?" He then turned to the still sleeping Midnight, his eyes narrowing.

"Wake up!" he ordered, "You have work to do!" Midnight's eyes opened.

**(with Gray, Lyon, and Sherry)**

"One down, five to go," Gray said, looking at the unconscious Racer.

"Next time could you include me on your plans?" Sherry asked, pouting, "It was quite frustrating not knowing."

"Sorry, but I wasn't positive this was going to work, and I wanted to make sure you didn't caught up in it," Lyon answered.

"Really?" Gray said, "Because you sounded pretty confident when telling me." Lyon just ignored him, as he looked at his leg.

"How is it?" Sherry asked.

"Not good, but I think I can…," Lyon tried to stand up, only to slip back down.

"Hate to break it to you, but you're not going anywhere with that wound," Gray said, "You need to make your way back to the camp!"

"And let Fairy Tail have all the fun?" Lyon answered, "No way!" Gray looked straight into Lyon's eyes. A tense silence past between the two of them.

"Please, boys!" Sherry said quickly, "Try to remember love!" Later in her life, Sherry would acknowledge that probably wasn't worded right.

"Fine then," Lyon relented, "We'll head back." Sherry boosted Lyon up.

"What about you?" the magenta haired girl asked.

"I'm going to find Natsu," Gray answered, "Chances are he's gotten into trouble."

**(somewhere with Natsu)**

"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!" Natsu said to himself, as he picked up the pace back towards the camp. He had to get to back, to Lucy, to Wendy. If what that dark mage said was true, they were in danger, and Natsu was going to be damned if he let anything like that happen to them.

**Note: I decided to omit the bomb thing, because I didn't think it added much to the narrative when all is said and done. I know this stuck close to cannon, but this is the arc I have the least idea how to diverge from canon. I know I'm probably in the minority here, but while I love Fairy Tail and all its arcs, this is the arc I like the least. I would love some suggestions to diverge.**

**I'd certainly like to begin Lucy's fight with Angel, and with Wendy present that could make for an interesting dynamic, but again, we're going to have to see how things progress here.**

**Something else that needs to be said, is that one reviewer asked me twice to write a NaLu smut one shot. The answer, I'm afraid, is no. I don't do smut; never have, and probably never will.**


	23. Nirvana

_**Nirvana**_

Jellal continued lurking through the trees, having acquired a new set of clothes from a dark mage who was stupid enough to not recognize him. There was nothing in his mind, nothing save for two things: a location, and a name.

_Erza._

**(with Jura)**

Jura's eyes darted to the right as he heard the bushes rustle.

"Show yourself!" Jura ordered, as he took a fighting stance, "Are you too afraid to actually face against me?"

"When one has money, one need not fear anything! Oh yeah! But I guess it was naive to think that I could hide from one of the Ten Wizard Saints," a familiar voice said. Jura whirled around, and saw Hoteye emerge out of the trees, his typical smug face present.

"Heavenly Eyes Hoteye," Jura said.

"Iron Rock Jura, oh yeah!" Hoteye said, "I was hoping I could be the one to fight you." His eyes then glowed, as the ground swirled up like water around Jura, only for the Wizard Saint's body to swell with magic, as the liquidized rock turned into stone pillars, which launched at Hoteye. However, as they advanced on the dark mage, he held up his hands, which melted the rocks back down.

"Ironic isn't it?" Hoteye stated, "You're power hardens the ground, mine softens it. I wonder whose is the stronger magic, oh yeah!"

"Magic power is completely irrelevant," Jura answered, "Those with the greater conviction will triumph!" Hoteye snickered darkly.

"Much to the contrary, regardless of the conviction, regardless of the era, the rich will always triumph! Oh yeah!"

**(at the base camp)**

"I'm almost done," Wendy said, as she wiped her brow slightly. And she was right, and it could be seen. The venom was now just around the bite marks, and Erza seemed to be breathing much more normally.

"You're really good at this," Lucy said, as she knelt next to Wendy, "I hate to think what would have happened if Cait Shelter hadn't sent you."

"That would've been scary!" Happy said, raising a paw, "You're awesome, Wendy!"

"Thank you," Wendy answered, with a more than slight blush. Hibiki smiled at Wendy, and was about to offer his own praise, but then his attention was taken back to his screen.

"One of the Oracion Seis has been defeated!" he announced. The girls and the cats looked up at him.

"Really?" Lucy asked.

"Really," Hibiki confirmed, "I can't tell who it is, but from what I can assemble, one has been defeated."

"That's great!" Lucy said, "We're already down to five!"

"Don't get overconfident, there is still five remaining," Carla reminded, "We have to keep our heads in this, but for now…" She was interrupted when the bushes suddenly exploded.

"Lucy!" Natsu said as he sprung out.

"Natsu!" Lucy cried out. She wasn't the only one surprised by Natsu's sudden appearance. The Fire Dragon Slayer scurried over Lucy, and started looking over every inch of his girlfriend. After finding nothing out of the ordinary, he went over, and did the same to Wendy.

"What are you doing here?" Hibiki said, "You were supposed to be looking for the Oracion Seis!"

"I had to make sure my girlfriend and sister were okay!" Natsu said, "I heard they were in danger!"

"First of all, Wendy is not your sister!" Carla protested, "Secondly, you have to keep your priorities straight! She and the blonde are fine!"

"The blonde has a name," Lucy said with a sweat drop.

"I'm done!" Wendy announced. Everyone looked down, and saw Erza completely healthy and stable. It looked more like she was just asleep slightly.

"You did it!" Natsu said as he suddenly ran up and hugged Wendy. The Sky Dragon Slayer flushed red, but was still smiling.

"You're awesome!" Lucy said, hugging Wendy as well.

"Give me paw!" Happy said, holding up to Carla. The female cat glanced at it briefly, before sighing.

"Fine, but just this once!" Carla answered with a frown, as she slapped her paw against Happy's.

**(somewhere deep in the Woodsea)**

Jellal eventually entered into a strange gully, filled with strange plants that seemed to glow maliciously. He approached a single massive tree in the center, which had chains attached to it, as someone had tried to imprison something within it. All this time, Cobra and Cubelios followed him closely.

_I know the Woodsea down to the last leaf, but this place is a first_ he thought_ Maybe Brain was on to something after all. Is this where Nirvana is?_

Jellal stood before the massive tree, before holding up his hand, and pressing his palm against the trunk. It then flared up with magic, before bursting out. The magic took the form of a strange black light, as it shot into the sky. Cobra's eyes grew wide, as did his smile.

"Finally!" he said out loud, "Our future is here!"

**(back at the camp)**

"She should regain consciousness soon enough," Carla said, as she folded her paws, and looked at Erza.

"What do we do in the meantime?" Natsu asked.

"Shouldn't you be out looking for the Oracion Seis?" Hibiki said. Natsu, however, glared at him.

"I beat up an enemy, and he said that my girls were in danger!" he said, "I'm not ever going to let them out of my sight!" However, he was suddenly yanked down by the ear by Lucy, who was glaring at him.

"If I told you once, I've told you more times than possible," she scolded, "You can't cling to me constantly. I'm a grown woman here. And the same goes to Wendy; even if she were your sister, you can't smother her."

"But…"

"Natsu," Lucy hissed as she tugged him a little harder.

"Yes, Lucy," Natsu weakly answered.

"That's a good boy," Lucy said sweetly, as she let her boyfriend go.

"Is Natsu okay?" Wendy asked, as she bent over the Fire Dragon Slayer.

"Natsu's withstood much worse from Erza," Happy answered. That was when they began to feel the ground rumbling.

"What's that shaking?" Lucy asked, as she looked around.

"Doesn't sound good!" Happy said, as he hugged Lucy's leg. At that moment, there was a huge burst of magic energy, that everyone could feel.

"What…," Wendy began. At that moment, a huge column of black light erupted out of the ground, into the sky.

"What is that?!" Lucy cried. A look of complete and total dread, filled Hibki's face.

"Nirvana," he murmured.

**(with Gray, Lyon, and Sherry)**

"What's that?" Sherry asked, looking up at the light.

"Could that possibly be Nirvana?" Gray asked.

"If it is than we have to head there!" Lyon said, as he tried to give up, only to double back over.

"Lyon!" Sherry said, "You can't go with your injury!"

"Sherry's right," Gray said, "You're not fit to go anywhere in that condition!"

"So you think I should just sit out this whole mission?" Lyon asked, "You're not serious are you?"

"You clearly didn't sit this one out," Sherry said, "If not for you we probably wouldn't have beaten that Oracion Seis guy!"

"I hate to agree with that sentiment, but she's right," Gray said, "You've done your part, now you need to head back to base!" Lyon looked at Gray for a time, before sighing.

"Fine," he relented, "But let it be known I'm doing this under protest."

"Whatever," Gray said, waving it off. Sherry then supported Lyon as the group started shuffling off, as Gray ran off in the direction of the light.

**(with Ren and Eve)**

"Shouldn't we be looking for the boss?" Eve said.

"He can take care of himself," Ren answered, "Right now we've got to keep our priorities straight!"

"But what about that Light?" Eve asked, "We can't let that go!"

"I know," Ren replied, "You go look for Wendy. You can cover more ground than me."

"I'm on it!" Eve said, as he ran off, as Ren ran in the direction of the light.

**(with Jura)**

Jura held up both of his clenched fists, which summoned two large fists of earth, before slamming his fists together. The earth fists slammed down at Hoteye, who held up his hand that wasn't still holding his book, causing the ground to melt down. He then flipped up his finger, sending the earth around Jura to swirl around, sending a spiral of earth up from beneath Jura. The Wizard Saint leapt into the air, as he clasped his hands together. Several stone javelins emerged beneath Hoteye, who managed to jump out of the way.

"Its pointless, my eyes let me see everything! Oh yeah!" Hoteye said proudly. Jura frowned as he landed. This battle wasn't getting either combatant anywhere. It was just the one earth mages giving a blow that the other one neutralized. Both of them had noticed the light, but were to focused on their battle to do anything about it.

"A man of such skill could be a great asset to the magical world," Jura commented, "I will never fathom why people would join the ranks of such a horrid organization."

"I go where the money is!" Hoteye answered, "Doing good never gets one any money!"

"There is far more to the world than riches," Jura said, as he took a battle stance.

"That's where you're wrong, there is nothing but…," Hoteye trailed off, as he began twitching slightly, "Money… money… money…" Jura narrowed his eyes. The dark mage was beginning to act strangely.

**(at the base camp)**

"That's Nirvana?" Lucy asked. She then paused briefly.

"Honestly I was expecting something much more… ugly," she said.

"Don't mistake its appearance, that magic is absolutely vile," Hibiki said. Natsu, who was just getting up, failed to hear that, while rubbing his tender ear.

"That has to be Jellal!" he said firmly. Nobody notice Erza's eyes crack open at the mention of that name.

"Jellal?" Lucy said, "But I thought he was dead?"

"Jellal?" Wendy whispered, as she began to shake a little, "He's… he's here?" Everyone looked at Wendy slightly.

"Somehow the Oracion Seis found a way to bring him back," Natsu explained, before pouting, "I would've kicked his ass if Dragon's Eye hadn't bailed on me!"

"Don't kick yourself," Lucy said, putting a hand on Natsu's shoulder, "I don't think we could've prepared ourselves for something like this."

"Jellal," Wendy said, as she grabbed her head, shaking slightly, attracting the group's attention, save for Hibki, who was still looking at the light.

"Now, we need to think about…," But he didn't finish as he looked over and noticed no one was really paying any attention to him.

"Do you know Jellal?" Lucy asked. Wendy sniffed slightly, tears pooling slightly in her eyes.

"After Grandeeney, the dragon that raised me, disappeared, I was left all alone," she explained, "But Jellal found me, and for a time he took care of me. I owe him so much." A sudden emotion of terror fell upon Hibiki. _She's not… _he thought in despair. As Wendy began to cry softly, her forehead was suddenly pushed against Natsu's.

"Wendy," he said, "What happened in the past is exactly that, in the past. It doesn't matter to us, you're here now, and that does matter to us. For now, we've got bad guys to stop, and we can't do it without you. You're with friends, and whether or not we're from different guilds doesn't matter to me, as far as I'm concerned, you're my sister." Wendy looked up at Natsu's expression, before a smile worked its way onto her face, as she nodded.

"Right!" she said. Lucy giggled slightly.

"What's so funny?" Natsu said, looking at his girlfriend.

"Don't tell me the great fire dragon is really just just a soft, cute little lizard?" Lucy said, as she tussled Natsu's hair.

"Lucy!" Natsu whined. The blonde giggled again.

"Will you two please focus!" Carla said, raising her paw, "We need to think about the current situation, now with Erza…. where's Erza?" Everyone looked down to where Erza was lying, to see that she was gone.

"Where'd she go?" Wendy asked.

"She must've slipped away while our attention was on Nirvana," Hibiki said, "I wonder where she went?"

"Knowing her, probably to find Jellal," Lucy said.

"What do we do?" Wendy said.

"Natsu, you should go in that direction," Hibiki said. Natsu shot a glare at Hibki.

"And leave my girls here with _that_?" he asked, "I'd sooner call…" Suddenly Natsu stopped abruptly, as he froze.

"Natsu?" Lucy asked, "Are you…" That was when Natsu fell to his knees in a cry of pain, grabbing his head.

"Natsu!" Happy cried.

"Natsu!" Lucy said, as she grabbed at her boyfriend's shoulders, "What's going on!" However, she found his body scorching hot, and had to pull away. But Natsu couldn't hear in anyone. All he could hear was the roar of a dragon. Somehow, he knew that roar. It was the roar of the dragon that dwelt within him.

The roar of Smaug.

**Note: 'Ho boy.**

**I wanted to do more in this chapter, but I thought this was a better place to leave off. Next chapter will have more, don't worry. Since Sherry never falls to darkness in this, that sub-plot is out the window, and she and Lyon are now heading back to base. But I think we all know what's going to happen to them.**

**An idea for another story just popped into my head. I may or may not work on it. That said, don't anyone say that I've got to focus on my things that already in progress. That's not in my nature. It helps me think of ideas when I'm working on multiple things. Again, I don't know if I'll work on it, since I'm still working out the details, and this would probably be on a large scale, with MAJOR deviations from canon, more-so than any other one of my stories so far.**

**Be sure to review.**


	24. The Battle of Spirits

_**The Battle of Spirits**_

_The dragon, deemed "Smaug" by Igneel, opened its wings, as it let out a monstrous roar, breathing clouds of fire, as the volcanoes exploded around him._

**(in the real world)**

Natsu let out a pained cry on his knees, as the dragon roared within his head.

"Natsu!" Lucy cried, as she fell to her knees, embracing him, "You've got to calm down!"

"What's happening to him?" Wendy asked, as she looked on worriedly.

"I don't now!" Lucy answered. She thought about what happened in the battle with Laxus, when Natsu went completely savage. Could it be happening again? For now, all Lucy could do was hold him. She could feel the heat emanating from Natsu's body, and it was becoming progressively more painful. But Lucy still held onto him. _I'm not going to let go of you, Natsu! _she thought _I promised I'd be there for you! I promised I'd be your light! _**(Note: I'm not one of those guys who complains about what can be perceived as too much "nakama power", but I digress)**s

Hibiki held up his hands, which began to glow.

"What are you doing!" Happy said as he floated in front of Hibiki.

"He's being affected by Nirvana!" Hibiki said, "If I don't knock him out, he's going to be consumed by that darkness!"

"No way!" Happy protested angrily, "Natsu doesn't have a dark side! He never has!" Hibiki frowned at Happy.

"Stand aside!" he instructed.

"Never!" Happy cried.

"I won't let you hurt him!" Wendy said as she stepped in front of Hibiki as well, holding up her arms.

"Wendy!" Carla protested, "You're honestly not going to let this happen!"

"I can't believe that Natsu has a dark side!" Wendy explained. Carla paused after that, as she stared at the ground. Hibiki finally lowered his arms, as he took a breath.

"I'm trusting you on this," he said, "I really hope you're right."

"I know we are!" Happy said.

Meanwhile, Natsu continued to cry out, as Lucy held him tight, holding him to her chest.

**(in the mental world)**

_Natsu was on his knees, grabbing his head, as the fire burned around him. All around him, bellowed the roar of Smaug. He looked up, and saw images of Fairy Tail burning. He remembered Igneel telling him that Lucy would be his anchor. To that extent, Natsu focused entirely on his girlfriend, as a golden image of her appeared before him, smiling. Natsu tried to reach for it, only for it to be burnt away by the fire as well._

_All the while, outside the swirling smog, Igneel watched his son. His face was grim._

"_**Come on Natsu, fight him!"**__ he muttered__**, "You're stronger than this worm!"**__ Natsu just let out another cry in pain, as he could feel Smaug looming over him._

**(in the real world)**

Lucy cried out, as she held tightly to Natsu, despite the burning pain.

"Please, come back to me!" she called. She then held Natsu closer, more to her stomach than her chest. That was when Natsu felt it.

There was some kind of warmth, coming from within her. The warmth it was… comforting. Natsu focused on that warmth, as he slowly wrapped his arms around Lucy, and held tight, pressing his face against her stomach, where the warmth seemed to be coming from. Lucy could feel the burning sensation fade away, as she smiled, and brought him close.

"That's my boy," she said softly.

"Damn," Hibiki said, "That was…" There wasn't a word he thought accurately described what he saw. Happy teared up, as he went over to Natsu, and hugged him as well. Wendy couldn't help but cry a little at the sight, and even Carla was awestruck by that, but she shook her head to clear her thoughts.

"I hate to break this moment!" she spoke, "But we can't forget Nirvana going on!" Hibiki looked back up at the light, before nodding in understanding.

"She's right," he said, "We should probably make for the light, see if we can do anything."

"What about Erza?" Happy asked.

"I may be from a different guild, but I know Erza's reputation, and chances are, she can take care of herself," Hibiki said.

"What about Natsu?" Lucy said, as she held Natsu close, "I'm not leaving him."

"I guess we can carry him," Hibiki said, "I'll…"

"I've got him," Lucy said, as she hoisted Natsu up, his arm around her shoulder.

"Are you sure about this?" Hibiki asked.

"Since I met him, he's been carrying me and my burden," Lucy said firmly, "Its time that I should be the one to carry his burden." There was a brief pause.

"Okay so maybe this is a little literal," she admitted, "But my point still stands!"

"I'll help!" Happy said, as he floated over, and picked up Natsu's legs.

"Thanks, I think," Lucy said, looking at the awkward way Natsu was being carried.

"Don't worry, Natsu's a lot lighter than you!" Happy said.

"Thanks no fully retracted," Lucy muttered.

"Let's get going now!" Hibiki said. With that, the group started advancing in the direction of the light.

**(with Jura and Hoteye)**

Jura was becoming progressively more confused, as he watched Hoteye thrash around. _Is this the effect of Nirvana?_ he thought. He admitted he didn't know Nirvana's effects, but…

"Money… Money… I…," Hoteye stuttered, before he suddenly smiled brightly, with tears in his eyes, "I don't need it all!"

"EH!" Jura said, in an uncharacteristic face fault.

**(with Lyon and Sherry)**

The Lamia Scale duo was making its way back to the base, though considering Lyon's injury, they weren't making very quick progress.

"Hope Jura's alright," Sherry said.

"Come on, he could probably take any of the Oracion Seis no problem," Lyon said, "He's one of the Ten Wizard Saints."

"I wonder how the others are doing," Sherry said, "No doubt they're fighting hard, as is love."

"What isn't with you?" Lyon said.

"But love is everywhere," Sherry said.

"I'm sure it… is," Lyon trailed off as he heard something. He looked over his shoulder, and saw a person approaching him. It didn't take long for Lyon to recognize him, and for terror to descend upon him.

"Sherry, run," Lyon hissed, as he pushed her off, and turned to face the approaching enemy.

"What is it?" Sherry asked. She looked over, and saw the person approaching them.

"Wait is that…," she began.

"One of the Oracion Seis! Midnight!" Lyon said, as he tried to take a battle stance, only to double over from his injury.

"Look, I'm doing this under obligation from my father," Midnight said,as he ran his hand through his hair, "I'd much rather be doing something else."

"Ice Make: Viper!" Lyon said, trying to summon the best attack he could considering his current state, which was a decent sized snake. However, the attack didn't even hit, Midnight just going around him like nothing.

"I prefer to fight stronger foes, honestly," Midnight said, "So what say we just finish things here?"

"You think I'm going to surrender?" Lyon asked.

"No, I think you're going to die," Midnight answered. He then held up his hand, but before he could attack, a massive branch struck at him, only bounce off the same invisible shield.

"I won't let you hurt Lyon!" Sherry said, as her Wood Doll smashed down again at Midnight, who just held up his hand. The wood twisted and bent, before it was torn apart.

"If you're so insistent, I'll finish you off first," Midnight said, as he turned to Sherry. Lyon tried to get up, only to fall to the ground, as the clothes around his wound seemed to tighten, as he grunted in pain.

"Rock Doll!" Sherry said, holding up her arms. A massive stone warrior erupted out of the ground, which punched down at Midnight. Midnight easily shifted out of the way, and the rock doll was turned inside out out by his magic. He then waved his hand at Sherry knocking her to the ground.

"Sherry!" Lyon cried.

"Let's get this over with," Midnight said, "Spiral Pain!" Sherry let out a cry, as she held up her arms in defense. However, in a flash, she was whisked away. When Sherry opened her eyes, she looked up to see Ren holding her.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"Ren? What are you doing here?" Lyon said.

"I was heading towards the light when I heard the commotion, and I can let my comrades go when they're in danger!" Ren said as he looked towards Midnight, and took his battle stance. Midnight just looked the Blue Pegasus mage over, and took a breath.

"Fine, I'll beat all of you," he said, "Now, who's first?" Ren let out a yell as he sprung at Midnight.

"Ariel Shot!" Several rocks were blasted at Midnight, only for them harmlessly bounce off of his shield.

"Is that it?" he asked.

"Far from it!" Ren answered, "Ariel Phose!" A giant cyclone appeared around Midnight, tearing up the area around them.

"You got him!" Sherry said.

"No, I didn't, Ren answered with a cringe. True enough, Midnight walked right out of the cycle as if it were nothing."

"Okay, I'm getting bored now," he sad, as his face turned dark, "Let's bring this to its conclusion!"

**(with the others)**

Lucy found carrying Natsu remarkably easy. If Sherry was here, she'd probably say it was the power of love. She was glad Happy as carrying Natsu's legs, since it probably made things a lot fast without having to drag him along the ground.

"How far do you think we need to go?" Wendy asked, as she tried to keep up with the others.

"There's no way of knowing for sure," Hibiki answered, "But its probably within 5 miles, maybe less."

"Do we have a plan about what we're going to do when we find it?" Carla asked.

"We'll figure it out when we get there," Hibiki answered. Lucy looked at Natsu on her shoulder. With all due respect to Hibiki, no one in this group seemed to be particularly capable fighters. The strongest one there, Natsu, was out of commission, and if they encountered one of the Oracion Seis…. it made the blonde more than a little nervous.

"We should look for some of the others, shouldn't we?" she asked.

"Aye!" Happy said, before turning, "And look, its Gray!" Everyone looked over, and saw the Ice Mage standing by a nearby river.

"Gray!" Happy called, as he flew towards him. The others starting following after him.

"Happy!" Gray said, "Good to see you!"

"What happened?" Happy said, "I heard you beat one of…" He was abruptly silenced when he was frozen in an ice cube.

"Happy!" Lucy said, "Gray, what are you doing!"

"I noticed you're carrying Natsu," Gray said, "Good, this makes this easier: Ice Make: Lance!" Several lances of ice lashed out, as everyone dived out of the way, causing Lucy to drop Natsu in the process.

"Gray, what's…," she began.

"Piri! Piri!" Gray muttered, as his eyes glowed menacingly.

"Wait!" Hibiki said, "That is most definitely not Gray!"

"How observant." From the trees casually walked Angel, an obnoxious sneer coating her face.

"Its one of the Oracion Seis!" Carla cried.

"Angel!" Hibiki said.

"Well done, Gemini," Angel said, as she advanced, "Soon enough this will be done, and we can move onto the rest of the vermin."

"Not if we beat you first!" Lucy said, pulling out one of her keys, "Now open, Gate of the Archer: Sagittarius!"

"Howdy do!" the horse-clad archer said as he popped into form, "What will you have me do?"

"Take her down!" Lucy instructed, "Show her what happens when you mess with us!"

"Yessiree!" Sagittarius answered, as he notched several arrows, and launched them at Angel, only for the Gray imposter to intercept them, and form an ice shield, which easily stopped the arrows.

"Ice Make: Javelin!" A massive shaft of ice then launched at the group, which Hibiki deflected by creating some kind of screen with his Archive Magic. During this, Wendy had dove behind a tree, was trembling in fear while watching.

"Sagittarius!" Lucy said.

"Will do!" The spirit launched another several arrows at the faker, only for he to create another wall of ice. Lucy cringed.

"This isn't getting anywhere," she muttered.

"Why not we change tactics?" Angel answered, somehow hearing her, "Gemini, let's make things steamier." The fake Gray smiled menacingly, before poofing away. Now standing there was…. Lucy?

"The hell!" Lucy snapped.

"Hey! I'm Lucy!" the being said.

"Of course you're not!" Lucy answered, "I'm the real one!"

"Then why do I have these?" the imposter said, before pulling up her shirt, exposing her self.

"KYAH!" Lucy cried. The males were slightly… less dismayed.

"Do you really have to do that!" the blonde cried.

"Sorry boys," the fake Lucy said, "But these belong to Natsu!"

"I don't belong to anyone!"

"Now Sagittarius!" the imposter continued, "Do you're thing!" Hibiki suddenly had to launch himself out of the way to save himself from being arrowed.

"Sagittarius!" Lucy cried, "What are you doing?"

"I…. I don't… know," Sagittarius forced out, "My body seems to be moving on its own!"

"Well go after that!" Lucy ordered, pointing at the clone. The spirit whirled around to point his arrows at the imposter

"You can't shoot at your master, can you?" "Lucy" said, as she took a sexy pose. Sagittarius knew that wasn't really Lucy, but for some reason, he couldn't shoot at her.

"I… can't shoot at my summoner," he said slow.

"This, is the power of Gemini," Angel commented, spinning a golden key through her fingers, "Now how do you think it will go when your horse skewers you?" Sagittarius then slowly turned to point his bow at Lucy.

"Ms Lucy," he said slowly.

"Close, Gate of the Archer!" Lucy said, waving her key. With a flash of gold light, the spirit evaporated. Lucy let out a sigh of relief.

"That was close," she whispered.

"Ah," Angel said, "This is going to be less fun." She then snapped her fingers. The fake Lucy then turned into two blue-imp like creatures.

"Finally, we're ourselves again!" one of them said.

"Yeah, that guy was cold, and that girl was really weird!" the other agreed.

"Why does everyone think I'm weird?" Lucy muttered to herself.

"Those are Celestial Spirits!" Hibiki said.

"She's a Celestial Wizard too?" Lucy asked.

"Behold the Twins, Gemini!" Angel explained, as she held up her key, "You two did well, but you are no longer needed, so be on your way!"

"Alright Ms. Angel!" the two imps sounded together, before poof-ing away.

Lucy thought about her options in the mean time, before a thought popped into her head. She was near a river, that meant water, which in turn meant…

"Open, Gate of the Water Bearer: Aquarius!" Lucy said, as she put her key into the river. The water surged up, as Aquarius came into existence.

"Damn I hate freshwater!" she said, glaring at Lucy.

"For once can you save it?" Lucy asked, "I'm in trouble, can't you deal with this girl!"

"Geez, you're so annoying, no wonder you haven't got a boyfriend," Aquarius said. Lucy fumed at that.

"Newsflash, I do have a boyfriend!" she yelled, pointing at Natsu, "Now stop your whining, and help me!"

"Fine, if only to get this over with, and get back to my beau!" Aquarius said, turning to face Angel. But the white-haired dark mage just grinned darkly.

"I take it back, this could actually be fun," she said, as she pulled out another gold key, "Now open, Gate of the Scorpion: Scorpio!" From a flash of white, emerged a guy dressed in red, with a mechanical scorpion tail, and hair that was split between red and white.

"Wicked!" he said.

"Sweetikins!" Aquarius swooned.

"SAY WHAT!" Lucy cried.

"Aquarius, my little mergirl!" Scorpio said, as he and Aquarius embraced, "Its great to see you again!"

"My time without you has been so miserable," Aquarius said dramatically, "I'm so happy to be with you again!"

"W…wait," Lucy said, "This is the boyfriend you've always gloated over?"

"My boy is far superior to your's," Aquarius said, sticking out her tongue at Lucy.

"Tell me again, how old are you?" Lucy said.

"We're going on a vacation," Scorpio said, "We've got to cherish our time together."

"Yes, my dear," Aquarius said. With that, they both flashed away.

"Ah, how sweet," Angel said.

"How did you even know about that?" Lucy said.

"You call yourself a Celestial Mage, and you don't even both to learn about your servants?" Angel said. Lucy noticed the way she referred to her spirits are "servants". But she couldn't focus on that just yet.

"Alright, time bring out the big guns!" she said, "Now open, Gate of the Lion: Leo!" Loke then flashed into form, as he adjusted his ring.

"Glad to be back, Lucy," Loke said, before making a face, "Though I'm a tad disappointed you chose Natsu over me."

"Can you give that rest?" Lucy asked, "Now we've got trouble!" Loke turned, and grinned at Angel.

"Hate to bash on pretty ladies, but when the pretty ladies are doing evil, they have to be stopped!" he then jumped at Angel, who didn't break her smile, as she shifted out of the way.

"Leo, eh?" she asked, "That's pretty impressive actually. Leo is one spirit most Celestial Mages would kill to get access to! Now I have all the more reason to kill you!"

"And I have all the more reason to beat you!" Lucy said, "Because I will never let you get access to my keys!"

"And I thoroughly concur!" Loke said, "Now taste the power of Regulus!" He then charged his fist, as she charged at Angel, only for the mage to sneer, as she pulled out another key.

"Open, Gate of the Ram!" she yelled. In a flash, and a strange "bah" echoing out, a girl dressed in a white, wooly outfit appeared. She had pink hair that was curled in a fashion not entirely indifferent to Juvia's old style, though it was fluffier, with a pair of horns on her head. She fidgeted nervously.

"I'm sorry for being late, ma'am," she said. Loke stared at the girl, shaking slightly.

"Loke?" Lucy asked.

"This battle is decided," Angel said, "And I've been looking for a reason to bring this sheep out!"

"Aries?" Loke mumbled.

**Note: Can you guess what that warmth in Lucy is? **

**I hope this fight was to your satisfaction. Next one should see more of it, of course. I hope to bring Wendy into fight more, as I'm sure everyone else does.**

**On an unrelated note, please check out my most recent story "Emperor of Sirius". And be sure to review this, as well as that.**


	25. Urano Metria

_**Urano Metria**_

"Aries?" Lucy echoed, as she took notice of the pink spirit before her. She remembered what Loke had told her about her previous summoner, Karen. Was this really the spirit that Loke fought so hard for?

"Aries too?" Hibiki muttered. First Leo, and now Karen's other spirit. He remembered Karen's trouble with her Celestial Spirits, and how they had rebelled against her. Not that he could honestly blame them; during the period that Hibiki and Karen dated, he would notice the way she treated them, and it was not very good. But still…

"That's Karen's spirit!" Lucy said.

"Key word being 'was'," Angel answered, "I killed her, so I claimed this sheep as my prize." She patted Aries' head degradingly, as if the spirit were a pet. Loke visibly steamed in anger at this sight, but so did Hibiki.

_This woman…. killed Karen?_ he thought _She killed… my love? This mage, stole away Karen's life… _He then shook his head. _No! I can't think like this! If I do, I'll be taken by Nirvana!_

Lucy inhaled, and then exhaled, as she pulled out Loke's key.

"I can't ask you two fight like this," she said, "Close…" However Loke held up his hand, gesturing him to stop.

"Don't act like that," Loke said, "She may be a friend of mine, but our summoners are different, and her summoner is a dark mage."

"I'm really sorry, but we are enemies, we must serve our summoners, and defeat our opponents," Aries said as her fists clenched.

"This is for our pride!" the two spirits declared, as they both launched at each other. Loke punched a golden charged fist at Aries, who summoned up a massive cloud of pink wool, which absorbed the blow. She then countered with a huge wave of wool. Loke dodged out of the way, as he leapt up, and slammed his fist into Aries' face, sending her flying. Lucy cringed at the sight, but Angel wasn't as dismayed.

"This is actually quite entertaining," she commented, "Its not always that two Golden Key Spirits clash. Maybe I should've brought a chair and a snack." Lucy glared daggers in Angel's direction, as she tightened her grip on Loke's key.

"Regulus Impact!" Loke said, slamming his fist at Aries again. A new wool wall appeared, seemingly blocking the attack, but the force still knocked her back, as she cried out.

"Wool Stampede!" Aries said, as she released a storm of wool, which took the form as a herd of charging sheep. Loke punched away two of the sheep, but got rammed **(no pun intended)** by another one.

"I'm really sorry!" Aries cried. Loke destroyed the last sheep, and sprung at Aries again, punching her in the stomach, sending her into a tree. The Ram girl **(isn't that contradictory?)**, held out her hands.

"Wool Tidal Wave!" A huge stream of wood soared down at Loke, swallowing him, causing him to spill over the water.

"No… please," Lucy muttered, as tears began to well in her eyes. Loke then kicked Aries in the side with a Regulus infused kick, that sent her careening away.

"Well, I guess I she never really stood a chance against Leo," Angel said, "Its a shame, this was actually quite fun to watch." She then pulled out a silver key.

"Open, Gate of the Chisel: Caelum!" A strange device then appeared, hovering over the water, in some kind of strange sphere. There was then a blast of green energy from the sphere, which tore through both Aries and Loke.

"Loke!" Lucy cried. _She attacked her own spirit?_ she thought _What kind of mage is she?_

"Forgive me… Aries," Loke said, as he began to fade away.

"You have… nothing to apologize for," Aries said weakly, as she also faded, "I'm just glad you found yourself a good… summoner."

"Aries!" Loke cried, as he reached for Aries, only for the two to fully fade all the way back into the Spirit World. Lucy just watched in horror.

"Good job, Caelum!" Angel said, patting the orb. Lucy looked at the orb in surprise, it was another Celestial Spirit.

"That's right," Angel said darkly, "I can summon two spirits at the same time. But I"m afraid thanks to Caelum, you won't be summoning your pet lion anytime soon."

"I… simply can't believe it," Lucy muttered.

"Can't believe what? Celestial Spirits can't die, so it doesn't really matter," Angel answered.

"But they still feel pain, and they have their feelings!" Lucy yelled, "And yet you treat them like that! You dare call yourself a Celestial Spirit Mage?! Open, Gate of the Bull: Taurus!"

"MOOOO!" Taurus said, "I'm here to save you Ms. Lucy!"

"Do your thing, Gemini!" Angel said. Gemini turned into Lucy, and groped her breasts, much to Taurus joy.

"MOOOO!" Taurus said, as he flushed deep crimson. In that moment of hesitation, Gemini grabbed Caelum, which turned into a sword, allowing Taurus to be cut down.

"Taurus!" Lucy cried, only to double over in exhaustion, "My… my magic…"

"That would be the strain of summoning so many spirits when you don't have the power," Angel explained, "Its to be expected, seeing how weak you are." She then snapped her fingers, and Gemini began kicking Lucy.

"Lucy!" Hibiki cried, as he tried to jump to her aide, only for Gemini to whirl around.

"Please Mr. Hibiki, don't hurt me!" "Lucy" said, lifting up "her" shirt slightly. Hibiki let out a cry as he began to steam. In that moment of hesitation, Gemini cut him down.

"No, Hibiki!" Lucy called. She was then kicked again by Gemini. Angel let out a cackle.

"Being beaten to death by yourself, that's pathetic way to die!" Angel said. Lucy weakly rose onto her hands and knees, glaring at Angel.

"What's with that scowl?" Angel inquired, "I'm not fond of people who scowl at me."

"Release Aries!" Lucy instructed.

"Come again."

"She was treated so terribly by her previous owner, and now…"

"Oh shove it up your ass!" Angel answered, snapping her fingers. Gemini then used Caelum to slash across Lucy's shoulder, causing the girl to let out a cry of pain.

"She deserves to be with Loke!" Lucy explained, "We're the only ones who can grant then such happiness!"

"Alright, what do I get in return?" Angel answered.

"I'l give you all my keys!" Lucy said, "If my spirits were so miserable, I wouldn't be able to forgive myself!"

"Very well, then I guess I'll take your life. Gemini, do it!" The spirit held up Caelum, and got ready to bring it down, but for some reason, couldn't do it.

"What are you, hard of hearing?" Angel snapped.

"I… I can hear a beautiful voice in my head," Gemini said slowly. Echoing through their minds, Gemini could hear happy cries of a young girl, saying how she loved Celestial Spirits, how they were her friends, and how much she loved them.

"I can't do this," Gemini said as they teared up, "I can't kill a girl who loves Celestial Spirits as much as her!" Angel turned bright red at that.

"Get out my sight you useless pawn!" she snapped, as she waved her key, causing Gemini to off out of existence.

"I'll just kill you myself!" Angel said, as she grabbed Caelum. As she approached Lucy, Wendy watched from her hiding spot.

"Wendy! You have to take action!" Carla said, pointing.

"But…. but I'm not a fighter," Wendy said, "I don't think there's anything I can do!"

"Not if you keep acting like that!" Carla said, "If you want to be able to do _anything_ in the future, then you have to at least some confidence!" Wendy just cringed.

"_For now we've got bad guys to stop, and we can't do it without you."_ Wendy remembered Natsu's words, as she clenched her fists.

_I can't hide here!_ she thought _I have to fight! I have to contribute!_ She then rose to her feet, and slowly crawled from her hiding spot.

"Stop it!" she yelled. Angel looked in Wendy's direction.

"Aren't you that girl Brain wanted?" Angel asked, arching an eyebrow. Wendy tried to hold her ground, but she was downright terrified, shaking more than slightly.

"Wendy… run," Lucy whispered, as she looked up at the girl.

"I said to stop!" Wendy repeated, tears welling in her eyes.

"Look, we don't really need you anymore, and I'm not interested in expending effort killing you," Angel explained, before giving a "shoo" gesture, "Why don't you run along like a good little girl?" Wendy really wanted to do that, but she couldn't.

"No," she answered softly, "I won't run away! I won't let you hurt Lucy!"

"Oh very well," Angel said, "This girl wants to die, I guess I can oblige her!" She then turned in Wendy's direction, before jumping.

"Wendy!" Lucy cried. Wendy thought as fast as she could, as an image of Natsu's technique flashed into her mind. She then inhaled as much air as she could, and….

"Sky Dragon's Roar!" she cried. The force blew Angel away sending her into a tree.

"Wendy!" Lucy said in surprise.

"You little brat!" Angel said, she rose back to her feet. That moment of interference probably saved the day, as it allowed Hibiki to approach Lucy, and grab her head.

"Hibiki, what are you…," Lucy began.

"Just hold still," Hibiki answered, "I'm going to use my archive magic to give you a one time transfer of how to cast a top-level spell!"

"What in the hell!" Angel said, "What is this?"

"All these symbols, what are they?!" Lucy cried out, as all this information flooded through her head.

"Sorry about this," Hibiki said weakly, "But I owe you so much for using your light to save me from the dark." With that, he passed out. Lucy remained on her knees, as she lightly glowed.

"I'll kill you all!" Angel said, as Caelum hovered over her, and began to charge up. But Lucy rose to her feet, as she continued to glow, spreading her arms. _Natsu…._

"Survey the Heavens, Open the Heavens…" _All this time, you have protected others, including me…_

"All the stars, far and wide…" _And I have always had to hide behind you…_

"Show me thy appearance… With such shine. Oh Tetrabilos…" _But now I will not hide behind you, but stand with you…. _Glowing orbs began to hover around her, as if the very universe was coming too her aide.

"I am the ruler of the stars… Aspect become complete… Open they malevolent gate." _From here on out, you and I will fight side by side!_ Natsu began to stir slightly.

"Oh 88 Stars of the heaven… Shine!" Natsu opened his eyes, and looked at Lucy.

"**Urano Metria**!" All the energy gathered from the celestial bodies immediately crashed into Angel, who let out a cry of pain as she was blasted away.

Lucy began to shake slightly, as she began to fall over, only to be grabbed by Natsu before she hit the water.

"What happened?" Lucy asked herself, as she looked around. Wendy and Carla were staring at her in all, as Hibiki lay passed out in the water.

"You damn bitch!" Angle said, as she sprung up, carrying Caelum. She was beaten up more than pretty badly, and looked like she was barely standing, and yet she was refusing to go down.

"I won't… let you… win," she forced out, a maniacal grin on her face, "The Oracion Seis… can… not… lose!" Lucy tried to move, but she found herself unable.

"Now die!" Angel said, as she held up Caelum in gun form. However, before she could fire, she was consumed by dragon fire, blowing her away.

_My prayer, to be an angel, and bring my sister with me to heaven._

Natsu wiped the side of his mouth, as he puffed out a cloud of steam.

"Now one blasts my girl," he said. He then ran to Lucy.

"Lucy!" he called, picking her up, "Are you alright?" Lucy smiled up at Natsu.

"Somehow," she answered. Natsu then carried her to the shore, and set her down gently. He then walked over to where Happy was frozen, and melted him.

"Gray! Why are you…," Happy stopped, as he looked around, "What happened?"

"You're so foolish," Carla said.

"You really rose to the occasion, Wendy," Lucy said as she sat up, looking at the Sky Dragon Slayer.

"Well, I didn't really do _that_ much," Wendy answered.

"You used Dragon's Roar," Lucy said, "I'd certainly call that something!"

"You used Dragon's Roar?" Natsu asked, "That's awesome!" Wendy just blushed.

"You need to be healed!" Wendy said, going up to Lucy, and started her healing.

"You were pretty awesome too, Luce!" Natsu said, wrapping his arm around Lucy's shoulder.

**(with Brain)**

Brain doubled over, as he grabbed at his face. Another one of his tattoos began to fade away.

"Angel has fallen as well?" he asked, "That can't be." He clenched his fists angrily.

"I won't let your death be in vain, Angel!" he said, "I will obliterate the light!"

**(down the river)**

A beaten, but very much alive Angel floated down the river.

"I'm not dead," she muttered.

**(further in the forest)**

Erza was running as fast as she could. Since she overheard what the others said, only one thing was on her mind. _So Jellal's alive?_ she thought_ Why would he be here?_ There wasn't any real reason Erza could come up with for why he would be here. But that wasn't really what was on her mind, though. _Can I even face him?_

**(somewhere else)**

"So Nirvana is able to alter a person's personalities?" Jura asked.

"Indeed it is, oh yeah!" Hoteye answered. Since Nirvana appeared, his personalty had completely inverted, and in all honesty, Jura found it somewhat disturbing.

"This is actually just the first stage," Hoteye further explained, "The black light forcibly reverses the alignments of those stuck between "good" and "evil"."

"So you were fighting between light and dark?" Jura asked.

"Indeed," Hoteye said, "I did have a feeling that I was doing wrong, even if it as all for money."

"You sound surprisingly happy considering the circumstances," Jura commented.

"Everything was the for sake of my brother!" Hoteye said excitedly.

"You're brother?"

"I lost him long ago. But I thought that if I could gain enough money, I would be able to find him again." He then smiled at Jura.

"And seeing you again brings back all kinds of warm memories, memories I thought were lost," he said.

"Do I look like your brother in anyway?" Jura asked, also smiling.

"Far from it," Hoteye said, "You actually more closely resemble a potato my brother and I tried to grow!"

"A potato!" Jura snapped.

"Now, in the name of love, we will defeat Brain, and the Oracion Seis!"

**(with Natsu, Lucy, and Wendy)**

"That should do it!" Wendy, as she wiped her brow, having finished healing Lucy.

"Don't strain yourself, child," Carla said.

"After finishing with these Oracion Seis bastards, I'm going to teach you how to fight!" Natsu said, grinning, "I'm going to make you as tough as me!" Wendy looked Natsu over, and an image of a musclebound, masculine version of her popped into her head, and she whimpered slightly.

"I'm actually not that fond of fighting," Wendy confessed shyly.

"If you don't mind me asking, how do you know Jellal?" Lucy asked.

"You never told me about him either," Carla said. Wendy averted her eyes slightly.

"Its a bit of a long story," she said, "But it was after Grandeeney had left me. I was all alone, and helpless, until Jellal saved me. He was wandering around as well, so we both ended up traveling aimlessly for a month or so. But one day, he said something about 'Anima'."

"What's an 'Anima'?" Lucy asked.

"I don't know, but he said it would be too dangerous for me to stay with him, so he left in the care of Cait Shelter," Wendy explained, "I never saw Jellal after that, until today. Though I heard about the Magic Councilman who looked like him, and all the horrible things."

"Horrible things is a bit of an understatement," Lucy said.

"Aye! He was really mean!" Happy said.

"Watch it tomcat!" Carla scowled.

"Its okay, I know what he did," Wendy said, "I know what he became, but the one I knew was so kind."

**(at the source of Nirvana)**

Jellal stood before Nirvana, watching silence. Cobra was also watching, but he was barely containing his excitement. _We're so close!_ Cobra thought _I can hear the light falling to pieces! All that needs to be done is to let him finish, take him out and…._

"Jellal!" Said man, as well as Cobra, looked over. Erza had landed before them, looking straight at Jellal.

"Erza," Jellal whispered.

_When the hell did she get here?!_ Cobra mused angrily_ How couldn't I hear her coming? She can't be going after Jellal, could she?_

"The hell are you doing here!" Erza yelled.

"I don't know," Jellal answered slowly.

"I don't accept that!" the scarlet haired mage snapped, "Now answer my damn question!"

"Erza… Erza… Erza," Jellal muttered, "That's all I can remember." That caught both Erza and Cobra off guard.

"Do you know who I am?" Jellal said, "And please…" He then looked up at Erza. All that was on his face, was desperation.

"Please tell me who Erza is!" he cried.

**Note: Something I remember one author commenting, was that Lucy is a great character when not sued as fan service or ship tease. Personally, I couldn't disagree more. I think Lucy is a great character the way she is. She's the straight woman to Fairy Tail, and we witness the story through her eyes in many respects. We also get more than enough times to see her shine, like this one.**

**Speaking of which. I hope you liked this take on Urano Metria. I thought considering her current relationship with Natsu, she may have some musings about that.**

**Be sure to review.**


	26. The Darkness Advances

_**The Darkness Advances**_

"Please!" Jellal said, "Tell me who Erza is! I really don't remember anything!" Erza stared at Jellal in surprise, as did Cobra. _He lost his memory? _Cobra thought. He didn't really hear anything from him, but Cobra assumed that was because Jellal was shielded, but for him to have pretty much nothing in his mind?

"Jellal," Erza muttered, as she began to approach him.

"Stay back!" Jellal yelled, as he blasted Erza with his magic, but while it injured her, it didn't stop her. Jellal cringed at the sight.

"If you won't let me come to you, then you're going to have to come to me," Erza said, "I am Erza! You are Jellal, and at one point, you were one of my closest friends." Jellal recoiled back in surprise at those words.

"You defile the dead, hurt my friends, destroy the Magic Council, and kill Simon," Erza muttered, before screaming, "And if you're going to say that you don't remember anything, I'll put my blade through your heart, and force you to remember! Now come here!" Jellal listened to her, before he began to shake slightly.

"I… I did what?" he said slowly, before he began to tear up, "How… how could I do something so horrible?" Erza looked over Jellal in silence. _What's with him?_ she thought _Its as if he isn't even the same person."_

**(in the forest)**

"Two members of the Oracion Seis are down for the count," Lucy said. They were resting after her victory against Angel. Evening was starting to fall, giving an erie, crimson glow.

"Alright!" Natsu said, "That leaves…. four!"

"Why'd you hesitate there?" Happy asked.

"So, what should we do?" Wendy asked.

"We need to head to Nirvana!" Carla said, "And finish our mission!"

"But what about Hibiki?" Lucy asked.

"I can heal him if needed," Wendy said.

"He doesn't seem to actually be in that bad condition," Carla said, "Once he get some rest, he'll be fine. Again we need to head to Nirvana!"

"Carla's right, so….," Lucy began.

"That's incorrect, Princess!" Virgo said as she popped into existence.

"When'd you get here!" Lucy said.

"I'm always here," Virgo answered, "But I'm here to supply you with proper clothes."

"What's wrong with my…" Lucy stopped when looking down at her outfit, noting it was somewhat shredded, no doubt from her fight with Angel.

"Oh, I see your point," she said.

"I also brought matching ones for your friends," Virgo said. Lucy promptly changed (behind a tree of course), and with some insistence, did it for Natsu and Wendy as well.

"I like these," Wendy said, looking over her new clothes.

"Alright, let's…," Natsu began, only to look at Nirvana and stop, "It looks different now!"

"It does?" Happy asked, looking as well, "It does!" The column of light was no longer black, but instead white.

"But what about Erza?" Lucy asked.

"I don't know," Natsu answered, "No doubt she's still looking for Jellal. We have to focus on the light ourselves!"

"I'll be taking my leave now!" Virgo said, as she poofed away. As she did, Lucy looked at her hands. _I summoned her unconsciously, chances are I'm completely shot in terms of magic power_ she thought.

"Don't worry Lucy," Natsu said, putting his hand on her shoulder, "Just stick close to me!" He then looked at her abdomen.

"What is it?" Lucy said. Her boyfriend just smiled at her.

"Nothing," he answered, "Let's go!"

"Not without me!" Everyone turned, as Gray came up to them.

"Gray!" Lucy siad happily.

"Took you long enough, Snowman!" Natsu said.

"Kiss my ass, Sparky!" Gray answered.

"You're lucky my girls are here!" Natsu said, "Or else I would kick your ass!"

"Wendy and I aren't 'your girls'!" Lucy protested.

"Good, almost all of Fairy Tail's here!" Happy said, "Save for Erza of course!"

"Let's go!" Natsu said, as he and the others began charging in the direction of the light.

**(somewhere in the forest)**

Ichiya had been ditched by his captors, and was left immobilized on a pole of wood.

"Of course they ran!" he said, "Such cowards knew the magic I had within me! And thus they dared not test my patience!" He then looked in the direction of the light.

"I am likely the only one left!" Ichiya said, "I must destroy Nirvana! MEN!"

**(with Erza)**

Erza didn't know what to do. She could tell Jellal wasn't lying. But she didn't know what to say to that.

"You losing your memory makes sense in hindsight," Cobra said as he walked up.

"You!" Erza said, turning to face him.

"I don't know how you survived Cubelios' venom, but it doesn't matter," Cobra said to her, before looking towards Jellal, "Now you! Why did you unseal Nirvana?" Jellal clenched his teeth.

"I'm not sure, but I could hear a voice in my head instructing me to go to Nirvana," he explained, "I didn't remember much, but enough to do this. Nirvana is a vile magic, one that nobody can hold." He then looked towards Cobra.

"So I unsealed Nirvana, so as to destroy it," he finished.

"What!" Cobra said, as Cubelios also balked in surprise.

"You're going to destroy Nirvana?" Erza asked.

"There is already a self-destruction enchantment on it," Jellal said, "Soon enough, it will simply disappear."

"You bastard!" Cobra yelled, as he ran to Nirvana's control panel.

"Don't waste your time, I'm the only one who can stop it," Jellal said. Erza looked at him in surprise, she didn't really thin that he'd be willing to do it.

"Geez, what the hell is with this spell!" Cobra cried, "At this rate Nirvana will be completely destroyed! Tell me how to stop this!" However, Jellal responded by coughing up some blood.

"'Erza'. That name feels so kind," he said. Erza narrowed her eyes at Jellal in surprise.

"I don't blame you for hating me," Jellal said, "But hatred does a person no good. It will eat away at you, and rob you of your freedom."

"Jellal," Erza whispered.

"I"m afraid I can't be there with you, but…" That was when strange magical markings began to appear on hi chest.

"Wait a minute! Is that….," Cobra began.

"Be released from me!" Jellal said, "As I take away your hatred, sadness, and everything with me!"

"That's a self-destruction seal!" Cobra noted. Erza just stared. She could begin to feel water gathering in her eyes. That was when Jellal started to collapse to the ground.

"No!" Erza cried, as she caught him but the collar, heaving him up, "I won't let you die like this! Yes, you've committed crimes! But first you have to remember everything! You can't be at was without knowing anything! And you can't expect people to forgive you so easily by dying! You have to live, and struggle through your problems!" Jellal just stared up at her.

"Why are you crying?" he asked. Erza reached up, and touched her face. True enough, there were tears.

"What's going on here?!" Everyone looked over, and saw Brain approaching them.

"Brain?" Cobra asked.

"A self destruction enchantment," Brain noted.

"Jellal cast it! He's going to destroy Nirvana!" Cobra said, pointing.

"Nothing to worry about," Brain said, "Did you ever wonder why my codename is 'Brain'? I used to work for the Bureau of Magical Development. I've learned hundreds of types of magic, and created just as many. Among them was self destruction magic." He then looked back darkly at Jellal.

"I was the one who taught you such a magic, after all," Brain said. Jellal glared back at him.

"I may not have the cancellation code, but I don't need one in order to undo this spell." He then snapped one of the seals, and the entire seal fell apart, much to the shock of the people watching.

"Damn!" Cobra said excitedly.

"It… it can't be," Jellal said slowly. Brain noticed the destruction seal on him as well, but ignored it.

"His memory isn't what it used to be," Cobra said, "It was probably damaged by the Etherion."

"Is that so?" Brain said, "That's certainly a pity, but no matter. I'll be taken Nirvana now!"

"Over my dead body!" Erza said as she brought out a sword and charged Brain.

"Happy to oblige," Brain answered, "Now arise, Nirvana!" The ground then began to shake, before outright breaking to pieces, and fall apart, sending both Jellal and Erza careening away.

"I can hear it!" Cobra said, in a state of pure ecstasy, "The light is disintegrating!"

"Jellal!" Erza cried, reaching for him.

"Erza!" Jellal answered, reaching for her.

**(outside)**

"The ground's shaking!" Happy said. Natsu promptly whisked Wendy into his arms, and moved close to Lucy.

"What's going on?!" Lucy cried. Right then, massive tendrils began to rise out of the ground.

"The hell are those?!" Natsu said.

"They're coming out all over the place!" Gray said. The tendrils, seven in total, each latched themselves into the ground, and began to push, as something emerged out of the ground again. It looked like a… city.

"What is that?" Wendy murmured. It looked almost like some kind of giant spider, with a large city atop it.

"I don't know what it is," Natsu said, "But I don't really care. All I know is that its trouble! And I'm going to take it down!"

**(somewhere else outside)**

"MEN!"

**(atop the city)**

As the city stood tall in the sky, Brain stood atop the highest tower, as he spread his arms triumphantly, laughing madly.

"Its mine! Its finally mine!" Brain roared, "The weapon that destroys light! All those light guilds will be crushed under foot!"

**(on the edge of the city)**

Erza, while holding onto Jellal, managed to grab the edge of the city.

"Deactivate that self-desctrution magic you cast on yourself!" Erza said, "You have to be willing to live even if you're ugly or weak!" Jellal cringed as Erza hoisted him up.

"I should've been able to stop Nirvana," he mentioned, as he was pulled up, "Its all but over at this point."

"Far from it," Erza said, as she looked over at one of the tendrils.

Dashing up them was the remaining Fairy Tail members, as well as Wendy and Carla.

"If anyone can destroy this monstrosity, its them," Erza said, "And if we start caving into despair, then we've already failed!"

**(somewhere else in the city)**

Ichiya was free hanging on one of the city's buildings, as he scared the area.

"Men?" he muttered, before yelling, "Where am I! What's going on here! MMMEEENN!"

**(with Natsu and the others)**

The tendrils suddenly began to rise and fall, as the structure began to advance forward.

"Its moving!" Wendy said.

"Aw crap!" Gray said, looking over his shoulder. Natsu was frozen, as he struggled to not puke his guts out.

"This isn't a vehicle!" Carla protested.

"Its a non-organic, moving thing," Lucy said, "As far as Natsu's concerned, it might as well be a vehicle!" To prevent Natsu from falling up, Happy picked him up.

"Thanks little buddy!" Natsu said, before looking down at the others, "What about you guys?"

"Don't worry about us!" Lucy said, "You go looking for the Oracion Seis!" Natsu didn't want to leave her and Wendy, but Gray was with them, and he'd probably keep them safe. And after witnessing Lucy's power against Angel, Natsu had a feeling that Lucy may have less trouble then he thought.

"If anything happens to my girls, I'm turning you to ash, Gray!" Natsu yelled.

"I said we aren't your girls!" Lucy yelled, but Natsu didn't hear her, as he flew away with Happy.

"Let's go Happy!"

"Aye sir!"

**(atop the city)**

"You did it!" Cobra said excitedly, "You really did it! Nirvana is ours!" Brain just looked over the land, before gesturing with his staff.

"Look Cobra. This ancient city is Nirvana's true form, all that remains of a once forgotten civilization. And by my power as this city's new king, I will advance it forward!"

"Forward?" Cobra asked, "This place is going somewhere?"

"Well its not as if we can target it from here," Brain answered.

"Target what?"

"That guild," was all Brain answered with. Cobra immediately knew what he was talking about.

"Oh really?" he asked with a smirk. Cubelios looked at her friend, as she cocked her head. There was something in her eyes….

Brain then waved his staff around, sending glowing screens around them.

"Now forward! Let the light be assimilated by the darkness! And…" His monologuing was abruptly silenced when a shadow fell over him, followed by a cloud of flames.

"I'm going to turn you ash!" Natsu said as Happy flew over them, his chest still glowing.

"The worm!" Brain said. Natsu then turned, and breathed another cloud of fire at him, only for Brain to wave it away with his staff.

"Cobra! Deal with him!" Brain instructed, "We can't let him run rampant!"

"I'm on it! Let's go Cubelios!" Cobra said. The snake let out a hiss, as she struck out at Natsu, knocking them back.

"Fine, I'll roast the snake first!" Natsu said, as he prepared to breath fire again.

"If you hurt a single scale on her, I'll rot you from the inside!" Cobra said, as he jumped onto Cubelios back, who sprouted a pair of wings.

"The snake's flying?" Happy asked.

"Why aren't you sick?" Cobra asked, "Don't you get sick on vehicles?"

"Happy's not a vehicle!" Natsu protested.

"Aye!"

"Well I guess that makes sense," Cobra said, "You can't stand on Nirvana!"

"Get the hell out of my way!" Natsu said, "I'm gonna stop this thing!"

"Give it your best shot, but it won't be enough," Cobra answered, "I'm not letting you get in a hundred feet of Brain!" Natsu glanced down at the leader.

"He's the one moving it, eh?" Natsu noted, "Well then…." Happy then shot forward.

"I'll incinerate him first!" Natsu declared. However, Natsu was hit in the stomach by Cubelios tail.

"He knew where we were going?" Happy asked.

"I can hear everything," Cobra said, "Now let's have some fun!"

**(with the others)**

"Here's hoping Natsu's motion sickness won't get in the way of his fight," Wendy said.

"Not while Happy's got him," Lucy answered.

"So what's our plan of attack?" Carla asked, "Clearly we can't destroy this thing by ourselves."

"We'll figure that out as we progress," Gray answered.

"Alright, now let's….," Lucy began, only to notice something about Wendy. She was staring out over the horizon, as was Carla.

"What's with her?" Gray asked.

"Be nice," Lucy scolded, "What's wrong, Wendy?" Wendy just stared, as she began to shake slightly.

"This direction…," Carla whispered.

"It lead straight to Cait Shelter," Wendy murmured.

**Note: My summer break is coming to an end, so I'm trying to do as much as I can before I go back to the grind. Next chapter will see the battle between Cobra and Natsu. My plan is to do something slightly different with Cobra than with canon. As for what, you'll have to bare with me.**

**No, Natsu isn't going to use Dragon's Eye in the battle, because its been established that Dragon's Eye can't really be used twice a day. But I hope for the fight to sill be fun and interesting.**

**Be sure to review.**


	27. Fire vs Poison

_**Fire vs Poison**_

As Natsu and Cobra faced off, the Fire Dragon Slayer was rapidly losing his patience, not that he really had much to begin with.

"I can't get to the boss without going through this punk!" Natsu said.

"Don't worry!" Happy said, "There's no way he can get through our teamwork!"

"Cobra!" Brain yelled, "Deal with this witless worm!"

"Like you even need to tell me!" Cobra answered, as Cubelios charged Natsu and Happy. The snake snapped at Natsu, only for Happy to swoop him out of the way.

"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!" Natsu said, as he struck forward. However, Cobra (or more accurately Cubelios) easily avoided it. The reptile then swatted Natsu with her tail.

"I said I could hear your movements," Cobra said, "There's no way you're going to touch me!" Cubelios then soared around to the other side, hitting Natsu again with her tail.

"Happy!" Natsu said.

Aye!" the cat answered, catching Natsu just before hitting the ground. Happy then carried Natsu behind a wall. _Great, we can hide here_ Natsu thought, as he grinned with anticipation. That was when he heard the sound of stone exploding. However, when Natsu turned to face him, he saw Cubelios coiled up in front of him.

"Wha…," Natsu began.

"You're so loud!" Cobra said, as he kicked Natsu from behind, sending him flying.

**(in the city)**

"This place is beyond creepy," Gray said.

"I think that's an understatement," Lucy said, "But what is it anyway?"

"Well, its clearly a city," Carla noted.

"This is Nirvana! Oh yeah!"

"Wait, is that…," Wendy began. Everyone turned to see Jura and Hoteye standing before them.

"Its the guy from Lamia Scale!" Gray said, "And he's with that other guy from Oracion Seis!"

"Nothing to worry about," Jura said, "He's with us now."

"Everything is for love now, oh yeah!" Hoteye vocalized.

"That's not a satisfactory explanation!" Lucy answered.

"I'm afraid it would take quite sometime to explain," Hoteye said, "But I only have time to explain one thing, and I need to explain Nirvana instead. The city was inhibited by a people known as the Nirvites. 600 or so years ago, there was war across the world. The Nirvitttes were staunch supporters of neutrality, mourned for such a world. They created the magic to help regain balance, which would switch light and dark. And such they named it 'Nirvana', to refer to their country of peace."

"Well that's ironicc,' Gray said, "They named this place is after peace, but now a mad evildoer is using it."

"I don't see the point of making this at all if it affected light the same way it did dark," Lucy muttered.

"Wouldn't be a whole lot more effective if they just made it one, and left the other alone?" Wendy said.

"Chances are the Nirvittes didn't intend that either," Jrua answered, "But all magic has its side effects."

"But now that its moving, there's no point in debating its purpose," Hoteye said, "We need to stop it immediately!"

"Isn't that obvious?" Lucy said.

"Brain is almost assuredly up in the King's Tower," Hoteye said, "That's from where Nirvana is controlled."

"Wendy said its going to Cait Shelter," Lucy said.

"That's bizarre," Jura said, "I confess I know little about that guild, but to the best of my knowledge, there's nothing really exceptional about it. No offense, Ms. Wendy, Ms. Carla."

"No, its okay, there really isn't anything special about our guild," Wendy said.

"Do you know why they would be going there?" Jura asked Hoteye.

"Honestly I haven't the foggiest."

"Of course you wouldn't." Everyone looked up.

"Midnight!"

"That's another Oracion Seis guy!" Gray said.

"Wasn't he the one sleeping earlier?" Wendy asked.

"So you opted to betray us, Hoteye?" Midnight inquired.

"Betrayal implies I was in the wrong!" Hoteye answered, "But it is Brain who is in the wrong!" Midnight jumped down to their level.

"Yo dare suggest that my father is wrong?" he asked.

"That Brain guy is his father?" Gray asked.

"Can't say I ever thought about a dark guild being a family thing," Lucy said.

"Magic comes from within one's heart," Hoteye explained, "Hearts that are twisted by darkness are the weak ones."

"I'll be happy disprove that," Midnight said, as he waved his arm He promptly bisected several structures almost instantly. The only one who managed to fully dodge the attack was Hoteye, while the others were sunk down into the ground.

"Can someone please tell me what happened?" Gray asked dizzily.

"Hoteye caved us in," Jura answered.

"You all go face Brain!" Hoteye said, "The Oracion Seis are all equal to each other! Let me face Midnight!" He then held up his arms, sending a massive torrent of earth at Midnight, only for it to circumvent the dark mage flawlessly.

"The Oracion Seis are fighting against each other?" Wendy asked.

"I almost want to stay and watch," Gray said.

"Are you sure about this, Hoteye?" Jura asked, "I'd readily stay and help!"

"Just go!" Hoteye said, before turning and smiling, "Oh, and my name is Richard!"

"You reveal your true name?" Midnight ask, "You're pathetic Hoteye."

**(with Natsu and Cobra)**

"Fire Dragon's Talon!" Natsu said, swinging his fire charged foot at Cobra, who dodged it easily with Cubelios.

"Damnit! What's with this guy?" Natsu growled.

"Is he reading your movements with magically?" Happy asked.

"No, I can hear your heart," Cobra answered, "You're probably one of the most noisy people I've had the displeasure of fighting." Natsu stared at him, running his options.

"Was that Dragon's Eye thing what you used against Brain earlier on?" Cobra asked, "Well if you managed to use that technique to defeat Jellal, than chances are it may be able to beat me. Of course the key word being 'may', and even then its not like you can use the magic anyway." Natsu blinked in surprise.

"Yes, I can hear your thoughts," Cobra answered, "Its not like you're very subtle about your battle tactics."

"Well this sure sucks!" Happy sad.

"You think!" Natsu said. There was a brief silence.

"You're going to go left while thinking about attacking from the right."

"EH!"

"He can hear that much?" Happy said.

"Thoughts are thoughts," Cobra answered, as he petted Cubelios' head

"It doesn't matter what the thoughts are, I'm going to hear them," Cobra said, "You don't stand a chance!" Natsu's chest lit up as he let out a rumbling growl.

"Listening to all that thinking, I'm almost wondering if you're hurting yourself by doing that," Cobra sneered.

"That's not fair!" Natsu yelled.

"Who said fighting was supposed to be fair?" Cobra countered.

"Then I'll just go head on!"

"Aye sir!" As Natsu charged them, Cobra easily dodged Natsu's first attack, as well as his second.

"Look, just give up, there's no way…" That was when Cobra felt a brief burning sensation on the side of his face. In a moment of confusion, Natsu was able to smash his fist into Cobra's face.

"You will burn!" Natsu yelled angrily. With that, his first burst into flames, consuming Cobra, and sending him flying.

"What the…," Cobra began, only to be kicked in the stomach, and sent flying again, though Cubelios managed to catch him in her coils. He then looked at Natsu in surprise. _He's just not thinking!_ he thought. With an animalistic roar, Natsu launched at him again, but Cobra caught his fist.

"That's pretty good," Cobra commented, "Got to admit that its never happened to me before. So with that…" His fist then began to smoke with some kind of red cloud, as red scales climbed up his arm.

"Gah!" Natsu cried as he recoiled back.

"Its time I got serious here," Cobra said, as he bared his newly acquired claws, "You say that I'll burn. But not before you rot!"

"This guy's a Dragon Slayer too!" Happy said

"How…," Natsu began. He was silenced when he was struck in the face by one of Cobra's red charged fists. Natsu let out a cry of pain. It was like someone had hit his fist with acid.

"The power of the Poison Dragon decays everything that it touches!" Cobra explained. He punched at Natsu again, which Natsu tried to block, only to be kicked did the stomach, and sent careening away again. Happy was barely holding onto Natsu at this point.

"Cubelios!" Cobra called. The snake, understanding what to do, opened her mouth, and exhaled a cloud of poisonous mist. Cobra promptly began sucking it back up.

"He's eating the poison?" Happy asked.

"That doesn't sound very healthy," Natsu muttered. Cobra then inhaled.

"Poison Dragon's Roar!" Cobra cried, as he exhaled a massive cloud of poison, which consumed both the Dragon Slayer and the cat. Natsu tried to face Cobra, but Happy was barely, if at all, airborne. Much to the contrary, he was beginning to descend.

"Happy!" Natsu cried.

"I'm… not feeling so good," Happy said weakly.

"Now that you mention, neither do I," Natsu responded. It did really feel like Natsu's body was starting to decay from the inside out.

"Damn! If only I could use Dragons' Eye!" Natsu hissed.

"The breath of the Poison Dragon spreads like a virus," Cobra explained, "Slowly but surely, it destroys the human body, until there is nothing left but a pile of bones." A sinister grin slid onto his face, as Natsu glared back at him.

"The moment I struck you, you've already lost," Cobra said. However, much to his surprise, he was charged by Natsu again.

"Fire Dragon's Scythe!" Natsu said, as he swung his arm in an arc, creating a large blade of fire. Cobra easily avoided the strike.

"I can hear your movements!" Cobra said, "Don't tell me you already forgot that!"

"Damnit!" Natsu grunted.

"But props for still being able to move despite being poisoned like this," Cobra continued, "Pretty good for old school."

"'Old school'?" Natsu asked.

"I'm one of the new generation of Dragon Slayers," Cobra explained, "I had Dragon Lachrima directly implanted into my body."

"Then he isn't really a Dragon Slayer!" Happy yelled, "He's like Laxus!"

"There's no such thing as a 'real Dragon Slayer'," Cobra countered with a sneer, "There's no way for humans to learn Dragon Slaying magic. Only dragons can. Your's makes less sense than mine. Especially considering that there aren't any dragons left."

"Bullshit!" Natsu yelled, "Igneel's out there!"

"You're the one who's spouting bullshit!" Cobra countered, "All dragon's are extinct!" Cubelios then charged, as Cobra swung his poison cloaked arms up.

"Poison Dragon's Twin Fangs!" The dual blades of poison blasted Natsu and Happy into the air.

"Damn you!" Natsu yelled. Cobra let out a cackle.

"That blonde was your girl, right?" he said, "You know she's really kind of weird. Of course, all Celestial Mages are like that. Those keys got a lot of voices coming from them. Really confuses me."

"Don't you talk about Lucy!" Natsu yelled. Cobra then let out a sneer.

"Of course I could hear something else from her," he said, "Something I've never really heard before." Natsu became silent.

"Well if you're that curious, I'll guess I'll just tell you," Cobra said, "I heard another heart inside of her!" Natsu froze, as did Happy.

"Is she…," Happy began.

"That's right! Your girl's pregnant!" Cobra announced. Suddenly, Cobra couldn't hear anything from Natsu again. He was completely silent.

"Lucy's going to have a baby?" Happy asked.

"The hell's with you?" Cobra said, "Are you going to do something?"

"Happy, drop me," Natsu instructed calmly.

"What?" Cobra and Happy asked at the same time.

"I've got to finish this now," Natsu said as his chest began to glow, "I've got to get back to Lucy." _You're going to do another fire breath, eh? _Cobra thought _You really did forget about what I can do, didn't you?_

"Happy, now!" Natsu demanded.

"Aye, sir!" Happy said, as he dropped Natsu.

"This is over now," Cobra answered.

"Fire Dragon's…." _There's no point! I can hear you!_ Cobra thought _You're going to go for a wide ranged attack!_

"But it won't hit me from here!" Cobra said, as he jumped up from Cubelios, and grabbed the back of Natsu's head.

"Now let's see the snake crush the salamander!" he proclaimed

"Natsu!" Happy cried.

Natsu opened his mouth to swear, but instead, a roar began to slither out. Before it began to rather rapidly evolve into something entirely different. From within his body, something began to stir.

From Natsu's maw, emerged a roar that was so loud, the term "tremendous" would be a gross understatement. Cobra couldn't even vocalize his shock, as his ears were tortured.

It was the roar of a dragon.

Throughout the entire city, people could hear Natsu's roar.

"Such power," Brain commented from his vantage point, "I can't remember the last time I felt such a force."

**(with Lucy, Gray, Wendy, Carla and Jura)**

"The hell is that sound?!" Gray said.

"Is it a monster?" Wendy asked nervously.

"Its such an awful noise!" Carla said.

"Perhaps there is Nirvana has some kind of beast guarding it?" Jura offered, "No, this is too monstrous, even for a place like this!" Lucy was also in awe, but she was not afraid.

"Natsu," she muttered. In that period of awe, she didn't feel the strange sensation in her stomach.

**(with Erza and Jellal)**

As Jellal and Erza listened, Jellal couldn't help but feel as if that roar was familiar. Erza had a similar sense.

**(with Natsu)**

"MY EARS!" Cobra cried, as he crashed to the ground. Cubelios soared down, and looked over at him. Natsu panted, as he smiled triumphantly.

"That was…," Happy couldn't find the proper words for it.

"I guess my plan worked!" Natsu said with a smug grin, "I knew that your awesome hearing would backfire!"

"No you didn't," Happy muttered.

Brain just watched in shock from his stand.

"This worm beat Cobra with just his voice?" he muttered, "What is this boy?" Natsu then hovered over Cobra, as his expression turned more serious.

"Sorry, but if I'm going to be a dad, then I've got to get back home soon!" he said.

**Note: That's right, Lucy's pregnant. Let's start hearing baby names.**

**This won't be the last we see of Cobra. I'm a fan of his**

**Be sure to review.**


	28. Iron Rock Jura

_**Iron Rock Jura**_

Brain just stared in shock. This guy had just defeated Cobra, with nothing but his literal roar.

"Who in Earthland is this man?" he muttered.

Unfortunately, Natsu couldn't really savor his victory, as Happy began to fall to the ground.

"Happy!" he called.

"I'm sorry, Natsu," Happy said weakly, "My body…"

"Its the poison," Natsu groaned, "I can feel it too!" With a thud, Natsu landed on the ground.

"Crap! Now I'm on a vehicle!" Natsu grunted. His attention was then drawn to before him, as Cobra weakly rose to his feet.

"I won't let you win," he hissed, "I will defeat you. Only then, can I hear… her voice."

"Damn it!" Natsu said, as he tried to get up, but found that he couldn't.

"Now die you old fashioned Dragon Slayer!" Cobra yelled. However, there was a blast of magic energy, that pierced right through Cobra's body. Cubelios let out a surprised hiss.

"That's enough, Cobra," Brain said, as he held his smoking staff.

"B…Brain," Cobra stuttered.

"No need to keep fighting, you fought well," Brain said calmly. But Cobra could hear his thoughts. _You've served your purpose trash. I was planning on killing you and the others when I had full control over Nirvana anyway._

"You… bastard," Cobra growled, as he fell to the ground. Cubelios slithered over to him, and coiled around him protectively.

"Don't worry, I'll give you a proper burial," Brain said, as he pointed his staff at a nearby building. Dark tendrils then coiled around the building, and yanked the rubble down upon him. Cubelios tightened her wrap around Cobra.

"Go away, Cubelios!" he yelled, "You'll get caught in this!" But Cubelios wouldn't let go, as she nuzzled him. _My prayer… what I want, more than anything else in the world, to hear the voice of my one and only friend, Cubelios._

"_I… won't… leave…"_ Suddenly everything around Cobra stopped, as he looked at Cubelios. The voice… it was so beautiful.

"Cubelios," he whispered, as he reached up to her, as the rocks fell to him and the snake.

However, just before the Cobra and Cubelios were both crushed, they were suddenly pulled just out of the way. Cobra looked up, and saw Natsu, barely standing, holding his collar, and Cubelios' tail.

"What?" Cobra asked.

"This guy was your comrade," Natsu growled.

"I can find more in due time, using Nirvana," Brain responded, as another tattoo faded away from his face.

"Then that's not a comrade, that's a puppet!"

"No need for such hostility, I'm actually quite impressed by your level of strength," Brain said, "But 'puppet' may indeed be a more appropriate term. So I'll make you my first puppet!"

**(somewhere else in the city)**

Richard took a breath, as he looked down at the defeated Midnight.

"I… lost?" Midnight suttered.

"Those with the greater conviction will always triumph," Richard responded, "That is the wisdom Jura taught me."

"But, my conviction…," Midnight, as he rose up to his feet, "I… refuse to lose for my father!" He then dashed away behind a building.

"You know very well that you can't hide from me, not with my Heaven's Eye," Richard said. He briefly looked around, before catching the sight.

"There! Liquid Ground!" The ground then swirled up, catching Midnight in its massive torrent, and sending him flying.

"Let the Oracion Seis end this day."

**(with the rest of the group)**

The main group was wandering the city, until Lucy finally saw it.

"Natsu!" she cried. The Fire Dragon Slayer, barely conscious, was being dragged away by the collar by Brain.

"Ah, the rest of the insects," Brain noted.

"No!" Lucy cried in horror.

"Its the vehicle," Happy said weakly.

"Happy!" Wendy cried.

"Good, Mr. Cat is alright," Jura noted.

"I don't know if Happy deserves 'Mr'," Gray said.

"Please, save Natsu," Happy said.

"Three out of six are defeated, "Brain said, "And another one has betrayed me. I"ll be taking this boy now. He'll make a fine addition to my demons." Everyone was about to protest that statement, but Lucy was the quickest.

"The hell he will!" she yelled, "Natsu would never follow your orders in a million years!"

"Nirvana will darken his heart, and he will become my most recent tool," Brain explained.

"Yeah right"! Natsu hissed, as he bit Brain's hand.

"You little brat!" Brain said, as he kicked Natsu in the gut.

"You bastard!" Lucy yelled, as Gray held her back.

"You… gotta.. stop this guy," Natsu forced out.

"You know we will!" Lucy said.

"Stop me?" Brain asked, "That's not even remotely possible. This city will soon arrive at its first destination, that being Cait Shelter." That was much to the surprise of the group.

"It really is going to Cait Shelter?" Wendy asked in shock, as she began to shake.

"Why would you do that?" Carla demand.

"This reverse magic will turn the entire guild to darkness," Brain said, "I'm certainly looking forward to that."

"This guy's pure evil," Gray growled.

"You didn't fully answer Ms. Carla's question," Jura said ominously, "Why are you aiming for her and Ms. Wendy's guild?"

"There's no reason for me to explain myself to whips like you!" Brain answered darkly, "I am the god of light and dark! Now fall to your knees and bow to me!"

"You don't seem to be fully comprehensible," Jura commented.

"Why don't you all just…" Brain was silenced, when Jura blasted several rocks at Brain, who formed a shield to repel the worst of the spell, but the force still blue him away.

"Holy crap!" Gray said.

"That was… amazing!" Lucy said.

"Now stand up! And explain yourself," Jura instructed, "I won't let you fall until you do." He then looked back at the others.

"You all take Mr. Natsu!" Jura instructed, "Find someway to stop this! I'll take care of this fiend!"

"I must admit I always assumed the title 'Wizard Saint', was just some decoration," Brain said as he got back up.

"There are many guilds closer than Cait Shelter, as well as ones that you can say are more powerful," Jura said.

"I'd be offended if the situation weren't so poor for it," Carla said.

"Well, its not as if he's entirely wrong," Wendy responded.

"It doesn't matter why, seeing as you're about to die," Jura said, as he held up his stuff, as dark magic swirled up, "Dark Rondo!" The dark tendrils crashed down at Jura.

"Iron Rock Wall!" Rock pillars rose into the air, blocking the attack. The force of the attack create a shockwave, that blew the younger mages off their feet.

"We need to get out here!" Gray said, "If we don't, we're going to get caught in the crossfire!"

"I'll get Natsu!" Lucy said, as she ran and picked up her boyfriend. Happy managed to weakly flutter up onto Lucy's shoulder.

"Wait!" Natsu said, "Take them too!" He was looking at the unconscious Cobra who Cubelios was constricted around protectively.

"Why?" Gray said, "They're the enemies!"

"Just trust me here!" Natsu said, "I don't think they're really bad guys!"

"Do it!" Lucy said, "If there sone thing I've learned since I've known him, its that Natsu's a good judge of character." Gray grunted.

"If he tries to kill us, then I'm definitely kill Natsu first," he said, as he walked over to Cobra, only for Cubelios to bare her fangs at him.

"I don't think this snake's going to let me get close," Gray said. Cubelios looked at Natsu, who looked back at her. After a brief pause, Cubelios moved out of the way, allowing for Gray to hoist Cobra onto his back. With that, the group moved away as fast as possible.

**(back with Jura)**

Brain thrust his staff forward, launching a new blast of dark energy at Jura. Jura held up his crossed arms, creating a barricade of stone. He then pointed at Brain, as the rock twisted forward, to form a fist.

"Its useless!" Brain said, as his dark energy broke apart the rock, "Dark Effetto!" **(Italian for "impact)** Five large streams of dark energy blasted at Jura, who blocked the attack with a stone wall.

"No more useless than your own magic!" Jura responded, as he slammed his hand into the ground. Several hands made out of stone emerged around Brain, who had to jump out of the way in order to avoid them.

"Dark Matrice!" **(Italian for "talon")** The dark energy came together to form a large claw which reached for Jura. Jura responded by created a hand of stone, which clasped against the hand of darkness. For a time, the two mages clashed, forcing their techniques against each other, until the power forced both of them back.

"I will confess I'm quite impressed," Jura said, "You are quite skilled."

"Praising your enemies?" Brain asked, "That's the shine of a poor mage."

"All your comments make me wonder what you consider a 'strong' mage to be," Jura said, as he took his casting stance.

"A mage who is strong, is one that is willing to destroy everything for their individual goals!" Brain answered. He then blasted a massive stream of dark energy at Jura who rose up onto a pillar to avoid the attack.

"So you would sacrifice innocent people for your own selfish desires!" Jura yelled, as the pillar he was on sprouted several massive rock tendrils, which swooped down upon Brain. However, Brain consumed his body in the dark energy, and vanished. He reappeared over Jura, swinging his staff down. The Wizard Saint had just enough time to leap out of the way. The two mages landed opposite of each other.

"The people who put others before themselves get nowhere in this world!" Brain said, "The only way to win is to destroy all that stands in your way!" Jura clasped his hands together, as two rocks came up around Brain, and clasped together.

"Those who live by that philosophy are doomed to a life of misery and darkness!" Jura said, "Darkness is the easiest form of power to harness. It takes true strength to harness the power of light! That is why darkness will never triumph!"

"Save your speeches for those who give a damn!" Brain said, "Dark Rondo!" The darkness once again, peeled up to attack. Jura created his wall again.

"Too slow!" Brain said as he zipped around to flank Jura.

"Dark Capriccio!" Another blast of dark magic was shot at Jura, but the rock bent, to block the attack.

"You think it would be that easy!" Brain said, "Dark Capriccio is a piercing technique!" Sure, the darkness pierced through the rock, still heading towards Jura. The Wizard Saint countered by bending the rock again, redirecting the technique into the air, much to Brain's shock.

"Now!" Jura said, as he thrust his palm forward, as the rock column broke apart, slamming several individual stones into Brain, and quickly covering him. Jura took a breath, but didn't miss a beat, as he brought his hands together.

"Now fall! Supreme King Rock Crush!" The rocks then exploded sending Brain flying. He collapsed to the ground, defeated. Jura panted slightly.

"That left me with less energy than I need," he said, "But the others can defeat your lies." He then knelt down.

"Now, tell me why you're going after Ms. Wendy's guild!" he demanded.

"I'm… defeated?" Brain muttered, before cringing, "Midnight, you can't fall! If you do, he'll…." He then passed out. Jura narrowed his eyes as he noticed another marking fade away.

"Who is the 'he'?" he muttered. This raised some new questions about the situation. It almost sounded as if something very bad would happen if the last Oracion Seis member were to fall. _I have a feeling that just because I defeated him, this battle is _far_ from over._

**(with the main group)**

Cobra let out a gasp, as he suddenly sat up.

"What?" he said, "I'm alive?"

"Under heavy, heavy, HEAVY protest." Cobra turned, and saw the Fairy Tail members, plus Wendy and Carla. Wendy was currently healing Natsu, who was unconscious.

"What the hell's going on here?" Cobra demanded. That was when Cubelios slithered over, wrapped around him, and nuzzled.

"Cubelios?" Cobra said.

"You have Natsu to thank for this," Lucy said, glaring at him, "If not for him, we would've left you in the dirt to die." Cobra listened to all their thoughts. All of them wanted nothing more than to rip his head off. And considering how drained Cobra currently was, they would probably be able to do it.

"Why'd you save me?" Cobra demanded, "I'm your enemy."

"Well, according to Natsu," Wendy said, "You're not really that bad a guy. He said that you really loved that snake, and anyone who love someone that much, isn't all bad."

"Tch! You're all a bunch of idiots!"

"Well, Natsu may be an idiot," Lucy said, "But he's my idiot. And I trust him." Cobra looked at her stomach. He could still hear the other heart within her.

"Alright, now you owe us!" Carla said, pointing, "And you're going to help us!"

"Piss off!" Cobra answered. However he was swatted in the back of the head by Cubelios tail.

"What was that for?" Cobra demanded. Cubelios just stared him.

"_I… won't…. leave…."_ Cobra remembered those words.

"Was that… you're voice?" he asked, reaching for his snake.

"Look, do you still want Brain to succeed, after what he did?" Gray asked. Cobra looked at him, before averting his eyes. He remembered hearing Brain's desire to kill him after the plan was complete.

"No," Cobra answered, "I'd rather be dead than see that bastard win."

"Then help us out here!" Lucy said, "We know where to go to stop Nirvana, but we don't know how to do it."

"And you think I do?" Cobra asked, "Brain didn't tell me anything about this place, save for what it could do."

"Let's just head to the top, and go from there!" Gray said, "Cause for every second we wait, this thing's getting closer to Wendy's guild!"

**(with Richard)**

Richard stood over the defeated Midnight, as he took a breath. _This will take off another one of the Prayers_ he thought _But as long as I remain standing, _he _won't come back out._

"Dreams." Richard recoiled back at the sound of that, as Midnight rose to his feet.

"Everyone dreams," he spoke, "At midnight!" Right then, several wounds were immediately dealt to Richard, who was knocked back.

"Magic doesn't affect me," Midnight explained, "I'm the most powerful one of the Oracion Seis. Even my father doesn't hold a candle to me." Richard fell to his knees. _My prayer… to see my brother… once again._

**(with Jura)**

Jura noticed another marking beginning to fade. _What could that be?_ he thought_ Its probably some kind of body link magic, but what for?_ It resembled magic seals to an extent, but would could they be sealing? Jura then looked up at the tower. He had to get there, and put a stop to this.

**(atop Nirvana)**

"There aren't any controls here!" Lucy cried.

"Of course not," Cobra said, "You thought it would be that easy?"

"I guess not, but I was hoping there would be some hint to stopping Nirvana up here," Lucy answered.

"Natsu's still out of commission," Happy said, looking at the sprawled over Natsu, who Gray had to carry.

"I might have a solution," Wendy said, "My healing magic may be able to help lesson the motion sickness. Unfortunately I didn't really get a chance to do it until now." She then held up her hands over Natsu.

"Trio!" Her hands glowed, as the color began to return to Natsu's face. He opened his eyes, and got up. He looked around briefly, jumping up and down.

"I'm alright!" he said happily.

"Great, as if everything wasn't loud enough already," Cobra muttered. Natsu then looked at Lucy.

"Lucy!" he cried as he pounced oner, wrapping his arms around her tightly.

"Yeah, I'm here!" Lucy said, "I never really left." Natsu then got on his knees, and pressed his forehead against Lucy's stomach.

"Uh, is there something about my stomach?" she asked.

"You don't know?" Natsu asked.

"What?" Natsu then smiled incredibly wide.

"We're going to be parents!" he said happily. Silence fell over the group in surprise, save for Cobra.

"She really didn't know?" he asked.

"You mean I'm pregnant?" Lucy asked, grabbing her stomach, "But we…" She paused.

"Wait, we did," she said, as Lucy flushed a beautiful crimson, remembering the time when the two of the confessed to each other.

"That's awesome!" Happy said excitedly.

"Congratulations!" Wendy said, "This is great news!"

"Wow, you really don't have your priorities straight," Cobra said, "Have you already forgotten about Nirvana?"

"Hate to admit snake boy's right, but he is," Gray said, "Nirvana is still heading in the direction of Cait Shelter, and if we don't move quick, we can kiss that guild goodbye." Wendy teared up slightly.

"Our guild is going to be…"

"Not on my watch," Natsu answered, as he stood up straight, "I owe you. So I'm going to make sure that Nirvana is stopped!"

"That's really easy to say," Happy said, "But how are we actually going to do it?"

"We could crash it," Natsu suggested.

"You're kidding, right?" Cobra asked.

"No, I don't think he is," Gray answered. Wendy thought about Jellal, and how he might know, but figured that nobody would be willing to listen to him.

"I'm going to go look for clues!" she said, as she ran off.

"Wait!" Carla called, as she fluttered after her. Natsu tried to follow, but Lucy grabbed his shoulder.

"We need you here," she said, "Wendy will be okay." Natsu just made face.

_Can anybody hear me? Its me Richard!_

"Telepathy?" Gray asked.

"Richard!" Jura said, "Are you alright?"

_Unfortunately, no._

"Hoteye?" Cobra said, looking up.

_Cobra! What're you doing here?_

"Better question, what're you calling everybody about?" Cobra asked.

_My eyes have been opened. My whole life is about love!_

"O-kay," Cobra said with a sweat drop.

_With that, you need to defeat Midnight! I couldn't do it. After he's defeated, Nirvana's source of magic will stop, and it will stop._

"So its some kind of Organic-Link Magic?" Gray asked.

_He's not far away. But be careful, he's really strong._

**(in the city)**

_Please! He's the last prayer left! If you defeat him…_

"Nirvana will be stopped!" Brain said darkly through telepathy. As he severed the telepathic link, and lost his conscious again, he thought _I won't be defeated that easily._

**(up top)**

"Great!" Natsu said firmly, clenching his fist, "I'm all fired up now!"

"Let's go!" Lucy said. However, Natsu picked her up by the collar.

"You're not going anywhere, Luce!" he said, "Now, you're two people in one!"

"That's not how pregnancy works!" Lucy protested.

"I don't care," Natsu said firmly, "I'm not going to risk both you, and our baby." Lucy touched her stomach. Somehow, she could feel another presence within her. _Should I stay behind?_ she thought_ Will it put my baby at risk?_

"It will," Cobra answered, "Midnight's just as, if not stronger, than Brain. If you really care about your kid, don't go down there."

"What do you care?" Gray asked.

"I don't," Cobra answered, "But if you get killed by Midnight, then your pet dragon will go completely insane, and will probably burn everything within a two mile radius. You gotta stay here for everyone's stake."

"Even the bad guy says its too dangerous," Happy said, "How tough is this guy?" Lucy took a breath.

"Alright," she said, "I'll stay here!"

"Well I can't leave you here, either," Natsu said, "Not with the poison guy."

"I can't do anything," Cobra said.

"So what? I ain't leaving my girlfriend with a creep like you!" Natsu said, before looking at Lucy, "Happy's going to take you back to the ground!"

"Aye!" Happy said, as he went to pick up Lucy. Said blonde embraced Natsu tightly.

"Promise to come back to me," she said, before shaking her head, "No, come back to _us_."

"You know I promise," Natsu said, as he kissed her forehead. He then bent down, and kissed her stomach.

"My dad left me, but your dad's not going to leave you!" he said firmly. With that, Happy floated away with Lucy. Natsu and Gray then ran down the stairs.

"Come on out you bastard!" Natsu said as he pulled open the doors.

**(with Lucy)**

"Will your baby be a boy or a girl?" Happy asked.

"I don't know," Lucy answered, rubbing her stomach, smiling lightly, "But…." There was then a massive explosion, right at the foot of the tower.

"NATSU!"

**(with Erza and Jellal)**

"What was that from?" Erza asked.

"It came from the tower," Jellal answered, "We should head over there."

"I wouldn't." The two turned, to see Midnight approached them.

"Father is pretty aggressive," he said, "But I don't want the fun to be gone." He then cracked his neck.

"Its time I have some fun."

**Note: Don't worry, Lucy's not out of the picture. Far from it.**

**Again, I want to do more with Cobra, and for that matter, Kinana. One thing I try not to do, is complain about how **_**Fairy Tail**_**, or any story for that matter, isn't what I wish it was. My philosophy with any work of fiction is reading/watching it for what it is, not what I want it to be. I resent it when people do that though, with them complaining about the character not being or doing what they want, and thus rewriting it for that. But I will confess, I will be doing that with these two characters. Cobra not as much, but Kinana, for me, was very underused in manga, and is done more justice in the anime. So I'm hoping to maybe follow the anime more on Kinana's character. I'd love to hear some suggestions on how to do more with Kinana and Cobra.**

**Be sure to review.**

**Brief side note, I recently saw a big post on some site, I don't remember where (may have been Tumblr) accusing **_**Fairy Tail**_** as being a rip off of **_**One Piece**_**. Now I like **_**One Piece**_**, quite a bit actually; its #4 on my Top 10 list (**_**Naruto **_**is #3, **_**Rave Master**_** is #2, and **_**Fairy Tail**_** is #1), but the fact that people accuse **_**Fairy Tail**_** of being a complete rip off pisses me the **_HELL_** off. I could list the reasons **_**Fairy Tail**_** isn't a rip off, but I try not to rant about that because I know that I'll be opening up a can of worms in doing that. Look at a Youtube comment bar, and you'll understand my reservations. Nonetheless, I'd seriously argue that not only is **_**Fairy Tail**_** not a ripoff, but it does some things better than **_**One Piece**_**, of course there are things **_**One Piece**_** does better than **_**Fairy Tail**_**, but that's natural. Again, I won't rant, unless people really want me to.**


	29. Nightmare at Midnight

_**Nightmare at Midnight**_

Some distance away, lay Cait Shelter, and the two it was part of. Though it may have been more accurate to say that the town that was part of Cait Shelter lay some distance away, since the entire town was part of the guild.

"We got trouble!" one guild member yelled, "Its Nirvana!" Everyone in the guild heard that.

"The Allied Forces mission failed?" one girl asked.

"Even though they had Erza Scarlet and one of the Ten Wizard Saints?" another guy said.

"Master! What do we do?" The master of Cait Shelter, whose name was Roubaul, was a short, bearded man, with a large feathered headdress. He took a swig of bottle, as he looked over his guild.

"Is that true?!" he demanded, alcohol spilling out of his mouth.

"Swallow before talking!"

"Nirvana is heading this way," the guy who first announced it explained.

"I hope Wendy and Carla are safe," one mage mentioned.

"Yeah, I'd hate to think what would happen if they got caught up in all of this.

"Don't worry," Roubaul said, more alcohol spilling from his mouth, "Light isn't gone yet, and if anything, its shining even brighter than ever."

"Could they know our true identity?" someone else asked.

"Why else would they be coming here?"

"We should evacuate!"

"Our barrier can't work on Nirvana!"

"No way!" Routable yelled, "There are people fighting to stop Nirvana! We need to believe in them! And if fate decrees that it be time to pay for our sins, then so be it."

**(at Nirvana)**

It didn't take long for Erza to remember who the guy was. Midnight of the Oracion Seis.

"Stand back, Erza," Jellal instructed, "I'll deal with this man."

"No way," Erza said, "You're no where near in the right shape to do this."

"I honestly don't care," Midnight answered, "Both of you are going to die anyway, so who dies first isn't that important to me personally."

**(with Lucy)**

"No," Lucy whispered, as she covered her mouth in shock, as tears began to well in her eyes.

"Natsu!" Happy cried, as he swooped down with Lucy. The moment Lucy was close enough, she shook herself free, and ran towards the rubble of the explosion.

"Natsu!" she cried, as she started to digging through the rubble, "Damn it you are not allowed to die!" As she continued to dig, she began to visibly cry.

"You promised me, you promised our baby," Lucy mumbled weakly, "You promised you'd come back." She then fell to her knees, as she began to sob.

"GAH!" Lucy was never happier to hear that grunt. Natsu then burst out of the rubble.

"Damn, it got me!" Natsu said.

"Natsu!" Lucy cried, as she launched herself into his arms, "I'm so happy you're okay!"

"Of course I'm okay," Natsu answered, "Gray and I got buried under all this rock."

"Where'd all this even come from?" Gray asked as he emerged as well. As the dust began to clear, they noticed a figure.

"Damn! I'm getting old," Jura said, as he fell to his knees.

"Old man!" Natsu yelled.

"He protected us," Gray said.

"I was coming up…. to join you, when…. I noticed the trap," Jura said weakly, "Maybe… if I was faster, I'd be able to…. to save myself as well. But…" He then looked back, smiling at them.

"But you're alright, that's… the important thing." He then collapsed to the ground, defeated.

Old man!" Natsu cried.

**(with Wendy and Carla)**

"I'm sorry Wendy, but I'm getting tired, I don't think I can carry you much longer," Carla said.

"That's okay," Wendy said, as she let Carla set her down, "I can maybe track Jellal by scent, but his smell is somewhat different. Not by too much, but its still there."

"Are you sure he can stop Nirvana?" Carla asked.

"Its worth a shot, and I'm willing to try just about anything," Wendy answered. _I just hope he's going to be safe._

**(with Erza and Jellal)**

The standoff between Erza and Jellal, against Midnight seemed as if it was lasting forever.

"I'm a patient individual," Midnight said, "I'm willing to wait. But the question is, are you willing to wait?" Erza knew they probably couldn't wait. Nirvana was moving, and every second they waited, it was getting closer to a populated area. The red head knew that waiting was dangerous, and something they couldn't afford to do. With that in mind, Erza struck.

"Erza!" Jellal called. Erza slashed at Midnight, only for the attack to twist away from him.

"So we're going to straight to business?" Midnight asked, "Very well, this seems like it would be more fun anyway." Erza slashed at him again, only for the attack to be deflected again. Midnight then flicked his wrist, sending Erza careening away.

"I won't let you fight alone!" Jellal declared, as he sprung at Midnight. However, Midnight just sneered, as he held up his hand. Jellal was blasted away by the magic, creating several magic gashes in his body, and blasting him back.

"What?" Jellal muttered.

"Not only are your memories gone, you're skill is apparently gone as well," Midnight noted, "I guess that's to be expected. But it wouldn't matter, I'd be able to take you no matter what." Erza then jumped up at Midnight again, but he merely glanced at her briefly.

Erza's armor suddenly began to twist and contort coming around her body as if it were some kind of massive snake. She let out a pained grunt as she felt the armor starting to twist her body.

"What is this?" she grunted.

"He's using her armor as a weapon!" Jellal noted. Erza managed to break free by requipping into her Flame Empress armor.

"So that's what you can do?" Erza inquired, "I've heard about Reflector Magic, but I can't say I've ever really seen it in use before."

"How observant of you," Midnight said, "Indeed, I use Reflector. It allows me to distort anything in my range."

"Apparently that includes both magical, and physical attacks," Jellal muttered, "Damn, this won't be easy."

"Frankly, I don't give a damn," Erza answered, "One way or another, you're going down!"

"I'd me with your best shot, but that would imply that it might have an effect," Midnight said with a snort. He then gestured for Erza to come, which she did. With a yell, the knight held up her sword, and swung her blade of fire at Midnight, only for it to easily to be deflected, as all the others were. Erza then swung her blade at Midnight's neck, only for the blade to bend away.

"Its useless," Midnight said, as he flicked a finger at Erza. Erza's armor then spiraled, bringing her arms in, like she was being trapped in a cocoon. Erza then re-quipped into her Heaven's Wheel.

"Twist my armor as much as you want," she said, "I can just re-quip into a new one."

"Likewise, re-quip into a different armor, and I'll just twist that one."

"Then I'll just have to defeat you, and stop you permanently!"

"Good luck," Midnight sneered.

"I don't believe in luck," Erza said, pointing her sword at Midnight, "Only skill."

"Trust me, soon you'll be wish for better luck."

**(with the main group)**

"You better not be dying old guy!" Natsu said angrily.

"If only Wendy were here, his wounds are serious," Lucy said.

"What should we do?" Happy asked.

"I don't think there's anything we really can do," Gray said, "None of us have the magic."

"This is sure a pity." Everyone stopped, and looked around.

"Who said that?" Lucy asked

"Is someone practicing their ventikrolism?" Happy asked.

"I think you mean 'ventriloquism", and the answer is no," Lucy answered.

"Brain really is a fool, wasting his power on single trap, that still failed to take down a single enemy," the voice continued.

"Look!" Happy said, pointing.

"What?" Natsu said. Everyone looked up, and saw… Brain's staff?

"Eh?" Lucy asked.

"Oh well, as long as Midnight's still up and about there's nothing to worry about," the staff continued, "I might as well deal with you myself."

"The staff is talking!" Gray said.

"Yes, I'm talking, and soon…" The staff was silenced when Natsu grabbed him, and started banging him against the ground.

"Stop this giant city you stupid stick!"

"Stop it!" the staff yelled, it swatted Natsu in the face with its brunt, and floated put to face the group, "I am the seventh of the Oracion Seis! I'm Klodoa, and I'm…."

"Tell me how to stop this place!" Natsu said, as he started hitting him on the ground again.

"I said stop it!" Klodoa yelled.

"Wait, if there are seven members, why are you still called the 'Oracion _Seis_?" Lucy asked.

"Are we factoring out that he's a talking staff?" Gray said.

"You're thinking about it too hard!" Klodoa protested, "You guys are such punks! The Cait Shelter guild will be on the horizon soon, but first I should clean things out first for all of you."

**(with Erza)**

"Dance of Twenty Blades!" Erza declared, as she launched her blades at Midnight, but as with all, they bent out of the way, back towards Erza. Erza managed to deflect all of them.

"Really, that's it?" Midnight asked.

"Far from it," Erza said, "That was just the second level of my Dance! Now, Dance of Thirty Blades!" Another many blades launched at Midnight, but they bent out of the way as well. Midnight then thrust his hand at Erza, twisting around her armor, tightening it so hard it felt like it was crushing her bones into a powder, while it was nearly shattering the armor.

"Dance of Ten Blades!" she forced out. Of her Sword Dance technique, it was the weakest, but it was the only technique she could do from this position. Midnight didn't even need to deflect any of them, as he dodged.

"Not too bad," he admitted, "But still bad. Spiral Pain!" A torrent of magic energy surged up, nearly shredding Erza to pieces. She then fell to the ground, barely conscious.

"Don't tell me it was that easy," Midnight said.

"Damn you!" Jellal said, as he tried to get up, only to fail.

"Don't die just yet," Midnight said, "If you do, I won't have anything to past the time before we get to Cait Shelter."

"Cait Shelter?" Jellal asked.

"That's what I said," Midnight answered.

"What's the point of that? What's so special about Cait Shelter?" Midnight grinned maliciously.

"Nirvana was created by the Nirvites, in their ploy to end war. Unfortunately, Nirvana turned far more dangerous than they had thought. To prevent it from potentially destroying everything, they sealed it away. However, they continued to watch over it…"

**(with the main group)**

"A guild made up entirely of the descendants of the Nirvites came into existence," Klodoa said to the others, "That guild is known to others Cait Shelter."

"What?!" Natsu yelled.

"Carla's guild helped create Nirvana?" Happy asked.

"No, their ancestors did," Klodoa answered, "They possess the power to seal Nirvana away. For obvious reasons, we have to destroy them."

**(with Erza)**

"Doing that would undo all our handwork," Midnight said, "And this will teach the Nirvites the pain of neutrality." He then looked to sky, holding his arms out.

"With Nirvana, we will turn their hearts to darkness, and have them destroy each other! It will be amazing!"

"You're despicable," Jellal hissed.

"That's ironic coming from you," Midnight said, grinning, "You are no less despicable than me."

"That's not possible," Jellal answered.

"Is it now?" Midnight said, "Let me describe to your past. You forced children to labor, you killed one of your closest friends, and, here's my favorite, you even tried to kill Erza!" Jellal took that all in, as he just stared at Midnight.

"There are more people than can be counted were cast into misery by you. You are quite like us, so why not join us? You would be a superb member of the Six Prayers." Jellal clenched his teeth, as he took that all in. _Was I really such a monster?_ he thought _Am I meant to be evil?_

"I refuse to believe that." The two looked at Erza, who rose to feet, as a violet mist slid over her body. A naginata appeared in her hand, as a purple robe wrapped around her body

"Erza," Jellal whispered.

"So, you're still able to move?" Midnight said, "I'll admit I doubted the rumors, but clearly my doubt was unfounded." He then looked towards Erza, as he smiled.

"You are certainly worth obliterating," he said.

"Not before I obliterate you," Erza said firmly.

"Very well," Midnight said, gesturing, Let me see your power. Not to say it will do anything." Erza sprung at him, twisting the naginata through her arms. _She's so fast!_ Jellal thought.

"Speed doesn't matter when it comes to my power," Midnight said. However, instead of slashing at Midnight, Erza thrust the polearm into the ground, and pole-vaulted into the air. As she was doing that, she kicked Midnight in the face, sending him careening away into a wall.

"You have two critical weaknesses," Erza said, "Number one, you can reflect magic and weapons, but you can't do it to the body. If it did, you could've snapped my neck no problem."

"Pretty good," Midnight said as he rose to his feet, as he dusted himself off, "But there is more than one way to kill a person." He then held up his hands, twisting Erza's robe.

"As for number two," she said calmly, "Dance of Forty Blades." Midnight looked up, to see swords cascading down upon. As the dust got kicked up, he emerged wounded.

"You had to dodge my sword while bending my armor," Erza explained, "That means that you can only really react a single area at any given time. That area is either around you or your enemy. And while casting it on said enemy, you can't use it on you."

"Damn you!" Midnight hissed. _This is amazing! _Jellal thought _He saw through him no problem._

"Besides, my Robe of Yuuen is elastic, so your magic isn't going to do a thing against this armor," Erza said before thinking briefly, "I guess that creates a third weakness."

"Its a shame," Midnight said as he rose to his feet slowly.

"For you perhaps," Erza said, "Seeing as I'm clearly the victor here."

"No, its a shame because you had to live long enough to see this," Midnight said, as he looked up the sky, spreading his arms. His body then turned black, as it seemed to twist and contort like his magic.

"At midnight, my refraction reaches its peak!" Midnight said proudly.

"What's going on?!" Jellal said, "What kind of power is this?!" A massive, black skinned demon appeared in Midnight's place.

"**Now that things are determined, I don't care how they happen!"** Midnight said darkly. With that, he sprung at Erza, dark magic gathering in his palm, thrusting it down at Erza. There was a massive explosion, that rocked all of Nirvana. A large tentacle shot out his palm, impaling Jellal, before another one impaled Erza.

"**Oh? Looks like I overdid it,"** Midnight said**, "I was hoping to toy around a little more, but I guess the impalement won't kill you **_**immediately**_**."** With that, the tentacle forced its way through Erza's body harder.

"ERZA!" Jellal called, as Erza screamed, and Midnight laughed.

"Dance of One Blade!"

Midnight fell to this knees, as Erza took a breath, as she set down her naginata. The demon was gone, as were all the wounds. Jellal stared at it all in shock. _It was all… fake?_

"My illusions failed?" Midnight asked, "That…. that shouldn't be possible."

"Illusions have no effect on me," Erza said, her left eye closed, and her artificial right wide open.

"Its not… possible!" Midnight said, "I'm the most powerful…. of the Oracion Seis. I'm stronger than my father. I can't be… defeated."

"People who derive pleasure from the sufferings of others are the weaker ones," Erza said, "You are far from strong." Midnight reached to to the sky.

_My prayer…. I only wanted to sleep… in a quiet place._

"This… is what she can do?" Jellal muttered. Erza panted, as she looked at Jellal.

"The first step to being strong is knowing your weaknesses," Erza said, "That, and having kindness."

**(with Brain)**

The last symbol began to fade.

**Note: A problem with Midnight, as that his magic doesn't lend itself to much in the way of a real battle. It mostly turns into an exchange of attacks than a trading of blows. But I hope this was good for people. **

**Another reason I'm going so fast, is that I want to get to some certain arcs that I think may be more fun to write. Not saying this isn't fun, its just other arcs might be more fun. One that I'm actually really looking forward to is the Grand Magic Games arc, because I've got serious plans for that arc, including some possible OCs.**

**Be sure to review.**


	30. Zero Hour

_**Zero Hour**_

"I can hear Klodoa," Cobra said, "I feel sorry for them. That guy's insufferable." He looked over, and saw Cubelios staring at him.

"What?" Cobra asked. The snake just continued staring at him.

"Stop staring at me like that!" Cobra said, "What am I suppose to do? Help them take down Nirvana?" Cubelios cocked her head.

"Why would I do that?" Cobra demanded, "I don't owe them anything." Cubelios hissed in protest.

"Okay, so that guy saved the two of us, but why should I help him? Because he's going to have a kid?" Cubelios flicked her tongue at him.

"Tch. For once I'm glad I can't hear your voice. It would be nagging me non-stop." His friend thonked him in the back of the head.

**(with the main group)**

Natsu got hit in the face.

"Damn you!" Natsu said, as he glared at the stick.

"I'm just as strong as the other Oracion Seis!" Klodoa said proudly, "No one can beat me!" He then rammed Gray in the stomach.

"Muahahahahaha!"

"Natsu! Gray!" Lucy cried.

"Hm, pink with gold stars" Klodoa said as he looked up Lucy's skirt, "I'd peg you for that type."

"KYAH!" Lucy cried, pulling her skirt down. Natsu noticed that, and let out an angry roar, as he sprung at Klodoa.

"No one peeps on my girlfriend!" he yelled, "Especially while she's pregnant!" However, Klodoa jumped out of the way.

"This guy's not tough, but damn is he annoying!" Gray grumbled.

"But he's just a stupid stick!" Natsu said.

"I'm going to snap him in two!" Lucy said angrily.

"You'll never defeat me!" Klodoa said, "I'm…." He paused, as he looked around briefly.

"Wait a minute…," he muttered, "The six have… fallen?"

"The Oracion Seis have been defeated?" Lucy asked.

"GAH!" Klodoa cried, as he dropped the orb in his mouth, "He's going to show up!"

"What're you talking about?" Gray said as he got back up.

**(with Brain)**

As the last mark faded from Brain's face, he opened his eyes, but the colors were inverted. But instead of being black on white, the eyes were a sinister red.

**(with the group)**

"Brain has a second personality. There is the face we all know, who hordes knowledge like a dragon hordes treasure."

"I find that insulting!" Natsu protested.

"Don't interrupt!" Klodoa snapped, "But there's another face which cares about one thing, and one thing alone: destruction. He's known as 'Zero'. Due to the danger of the power of Zero, Brain sealed the personality away, using six seals."

"And the Oracion Seis are what keep those seals in place?" Gray asked.

"The Oraganic-Link magic that's used means that's used means that if the 'prayers' as they were called, Zero will…" The staff abruptly shut up, as he saw a figure appear in the shadows. In an instant, Natsu had put Lucy in front of him.

"Welcome back, Master Zero!" Klodoa said, as he bowed in submission. _He's the Master?_ Lucy thought, as she moved close to Natsu.

"Klodoa," the figure said, as he approached, "It seems I've come at an interesting time, when even Midnight was taken down."

"Yes sir! I'm so sorry!" Klodoa said quickly.

"No matter," the figure answered, "I'm just satisfied to be out again. Its good to feel power flowing through my spirit." He then pulled over his cloak, as magic energy began to swirl around his body.

"I'll deal with these children," Zero said. He looked both exactly like, and completely different from Brain. He had pale skin, with deep set red eyes, and his hair was looser, and wavier. He was wearing a green suit.

"That's Zero?" Lucy asked.

"Stay behind me, Lucy," Natsu instructed, "This guy's magic feels sickening. You too, Happy!"

"Aye!"

"Of course!" Zero glanced over the group.

"You aren't enough to really expend the energy to fight," he said, "I'll just end thing's here." He then held up his hand, which was consumed with dark energy.

"Now be destroyed!" he said, as he blasted the magic at them.

"Ice Make Shield!" Gray said, as he held up his hands to create his shield. However, the shield was easily destroyed, blasting him away. Natsu jumped onto Lucy, grabbing Happy in his other arm, as he shielded both of them. When the dust cleared, the group was all on the ground, apparently defeated.

"That's amazing, Master!" Klodoa said, "You killed them so easily!"

"Oh they aren't dead," Zero said calmly, grinning.

"They aren't?"

"Can you see their bodies?"

"Uh…."

"If you can see their bodies!" Zero said maniacally, "They aren't dead!" He then sprung at them.

**(with Cobra)**

"Damn!" Cobra said, "I can hear Zero!" The last time he really saw Zero, was right before he was sealed away by Brain. He was still a kid when that was done, but from what he remembered, Zero was not someone he wanted to meet again.

"We gotta get out of here, Cubelios!" he said. The snake nodded in understanding, wrapping around him, opening her wings, and flapping out of view. He then listened carefully as Zero approached.

"I can see Cait Shelter in the distance," Klodoa said.

"So it is," Zero responded.

"Its the guild that can seal away Nirvana!" Klodoa said, "We gotta destroy that guild to protect Nirvana!"

"Why?"

"Eh? Um, because they can seal Nirvana away." _Again_ he thought, because he dared not say anything that could be considered condescending towards Zero.

"Its meaningless," Zero said, as he grabbed Klodoa by the skull.

"Master Zero, what are you doing?" Klodoa cried. He could feel his magic being drained from him.

"All I want is destruction!" Zero proclaimed, "Everything in my path will be destroyed!" He then threw Klodoa off the tower, as the staff screamed.

For a reason, he didn't fully understand, Cobra caught him.

"Cobra?" Klodoa said, "I though you were dead."

"Sorry I'm not," Cobra sneered, "Let's go Cubelios!" Cubelios then flapped away. Zero didn't notice, as he was too focused on something else.

"This will be the first strike!" he announced, "It exists, and that is all other reason I need in order to destroy it! Let Cait Shelter be erased from all existence!" A large opening appeared on one of Nirvana's walls, as it began to charge some kind of cannon.

**(with Erza and Jellal)**

"Are you sure you're okay?" Jellal asked.

"I should be asking you," Erza said. The two were walking further down the city, hoping to meet with the others. Erza's hope was to find at least Natsu. Seeing Natsu could probably find a way to destroy the moon if given the opportunity, he just may have been to destroy Nirvana.

"Jellal!" Wendy called as she ran up.

"Erza too!" Carla said.

"Wendy!" Erza said, "I'm really glad you're alright."

"Who're you?" Jellal asked. _So he really doesn't remember_, Wendy thought.

"Jellal's memories are somewhat decayed," Erza said, "He doesn't remember anything really at this point."

"Did we know each other?" Jellal asked Wendy. The girl was tempted to say "yes", but figured she probably shouldn't.

"You better have a way to stop Nirvana!" Carla yelled.

"I don't," Jellal answered, shaking his head, "My self-destruction array was my initial plan, but its obviously not going to work now. I'm afraid I don't have any other options."

"I will NOT accept that! Are you expecting us to let our guild be destroyed?" Carla demanded. They could then feel Nirvana begin to shake.

**(at Cait Shelter)**

The cannon of Nirvana continued to charge, as the guild members cowered around their master.

"Its all over!"

"We're doomed!" Roubaul just watched in silence.

"What's with glamour?" he asked, "This is our fate! Let's just accept it, and be done with it!"

**(atop Nirvana)**

"Now let the light be crushed under the boot of darkness!" Zero roared, as Nirvana exploded with energy.

The beam soared through the air heading towards the guild. But just when it was about to to obliterate the guild, the beam suddenly twisted away, much to everyone's shock.

The entire city buckled suddenly, as one of the legs was blasted, causing it to briefly lose its balance.

"What happened?!" Zero demanded.

**(with Erza)**

Erza, who was holding onto Wendy, who was in turn holding onto Carla, looked up.

"Its Christina!" she said. Indeed, it was Blue Pegasus' magical airship.

"_Can anyone hear me?"_

"Hibiki?" Erza asked, "That's you?"

"_Erza! And you're with Wendy!"_

**(on Christina)**

"_I'm here too, men!"_

"Sir!" Hibiki said, "I'm glad you're alright!"

"_What happened?"_ Erza asked_, "Wasn't Christina shot down?"_

"We managed to get back, many thanks to Lyon," Hibiki said, "He managed to make an replacement for the broken wing. And also many thanks to Sherry's Marionette and Ren's Air Magic we managed to stay airborne."

Outside, said two were focusing their magic on the entire ship, which, needless to say, wasn't easy.

"I don't think I ever had to control something on this scale!" Sherry said, her entire body tensed up.

"Just focus!" Ren answered, "But don't take it that I'm trying to carry you or anything!" But he was also clearly straining himself.

"That last attack was thanks to Eve's Snow Magic," Hibiki explained.

"I managed to combine my own power with Christina's armament," Eve said, "Though I only managed to cripple one leg. And I don't think I do much more after this."

"_Thank you!"_ Wendy called.

"Unfortunately we're pretty much completely spent," Hibiki said, "I'm afraid there isn't much to do now." Almost exactly after he finished saying that, Christina began to fell. Sherry doubled over, panting.

"I'm sorry!" she said, "I… can't do… anything else." Ren managed to catch her.

"You pushed yourself way to hard," Ren said. Sherry just looked up at him.

"We're going down!" Hibiki said, "Don't worry about us, but I managed to figure out how to stop Nirvana!" Those words echoed all across the group in Nirvana.

"_How!"_ Erza demanded.

"Nirvana has six leg-like structures," Hibiki said, "Those aren't actually legs, but more like valves that draw magic energy from the earth. There are lacrima crystals in each leg, which draw the energy into Nirvana. If all six can be destroyed, then Nirvana will cease to function. But you have to destroy them all at once! If you don't, the others will simply repair the others."

"_How do we do that?"_ Erza asked.

"I'll give you a time limit," Hibiki explained, "Twenty minutes should do. Once the limit is done, you have to destroy it!"

"_That's so futile I can't even laugh." _Everyone froze at that voice.

"Who's that!" Lyon demanded.

"_Its that Brain guy!"_ Wendy said.

"He's hijacked my link!"

"_I am Zero, the Master of the Oracion Seis,"_ the voice explained.

"This guy's the master?" Ren asked.

"_I believe in giving credit where credit is due,"_ Zero said_, "I was quite impressed that someone could use the same kind of Archive as Brain. But it matters not. Your destruction has already begun. Three already are: the Dragon Slayer, the Ice-Maker, and the girl. There's also the cat, but who really cares?"_

"_NO!"_ Wendy cried_, "There's no way that can be true! I refuse to believe it!"_

"_I don't care if you believe it,"_ Zero answered_, "You said that you would all destroy the Lacrima at once?" Very well, then come at me, here and now! I stand before one of the six, ready to destroy any who dares approach me!" _With that, the connection ended.

**(with Cobra)**

"So they're all going after Nirvana, eh?" Cobra said. He managed to hear the telepathy, and now knew the people's plan.

"What are you going to do?" Klodoa said, "Are you just going to leave?"

"Of course," Cobra said, "Brain said he was planning on killing me anyway when this was all done. If I stay here, Zero will almost DEFINITELY kill me. I'm bringing you because you could come in handy later." Klodoa thought about that briefly, and nodded.

"That is probably smarter," he said.

"Let's go Cubelios!" Cobra said, but the snake wouldn't fly away.

"He said go you overgrown earthworm!" Klodoa said. Cobra swatted him.

"Don't talk about there that way!" he said, "Come on Cubelios! We gotta get out of here!"

"_I… won't… leave…" _It was that same voice again. Was it really Cubelios voice? Considering that she was looking straight at him, that had some credit.

"What do you want me to do?" Cobra said, "Help them." Cubelios nodded in response.

"You're kidding right?"

"HISSS!" Cobra and Cubelios stared each other down for a time, as Klodoa looked between them.

"Why do I get the feeling this isn't going to end favorably?" he said with a sigh.

**(with Erza and Wendy)**

"What do we do?" Carla asked, "We don't have enough mages."

"I don't think I can use any destruction magic," Wendy said, "I'm sorry."

"Well, we do have two people here," Erza said, "But I don't know who else can do it."

"_You have me," _Ichiya called out.

"Ichiya?" Erza asked.

"_I may be weak, but my parfume is still strong, men!"_

"Good, now we have three," Erza said.

"Make that four." Everyone turned, to see Cobra floating down on Cubelios, much to everyone's surprise. Everyone got ready to fight, but Cobra waved his hand.

"Look, I don't want to do this either, but Cubelios won't get off my back until I do something," he explained. Cubelios nodded in agreement.

"Why should we trust you?" Jellal said, "You're part of the Oracion seis."

"Not anymore," Cobra answered, "Brain made it clear that he doesn't want anything to do with me anymore. I'm not particularly inclined to forgive him for stabbing me in the back. So I'm not intent on letting him win." People all glared at him.

"And you don't have much of a choice, do you?" Cobra said, "The alternative isn't much better."

"I'll have it known I heavily protested this," Klodoa said.

"Isn't that the staff Brain used?" Wendy asked.

"Its a long story," Klodoa said.

"Fine then!" Erza said, "We don't have a choice. But once this is done…"

"I don't care," Cobra said. Erza glared at him again, but new she didn't have much of a choice at this current point.

"_I can hold the connection for another few instances,"_ Hibiki said_, "But that's about it."_

"Quick!" Erza said, "Sound off! Anyone who can fight!"

**(on the ship)**

"Damn it Gray!" Lyon muttered weakly, "Don't tell me… you've already given up… the ghost. If Ul would be here, she'd be humiliated to know that you lost to this scumbag." At the same time,Sherry lay collapsed next to Ren.

"Lucy…," she said, "I don't like you…you're stupid, clumsy, and weak…. but you always put everything into everything….I can't hate if you die…"

**(with Erza and Wendy)**

"Natsu," Erza said, "I refuse to accept that you went down. You've faced worse, and got through it. I know you can hear me, you have to get up."

"Please Natsu, please get back up," Wendy whispered, "Please… big brother."

**(with the main group)**

Lucy let out a grunt, as she slowly regained conscious. She noticed Natsu over her. _You… protected me?_

"Come on Natsu," she said, putting her hand on his face, "Don't tell me you've already given up. You promised me to come back to me, to our baby." Natsu was silent for a time, but he stirred.

"C'mon," he said, "Can't I sleep more?" Lucy smiled.

"I'm afraid not, lover boy," she said, "We got a bad guy to stop!"

**Note: I can say with no regret that I actually really like Klodoa. I think he's one of the best examples of a talking item in manga/anime. I just find him hilarious. I hope you liked Cobra coming to help. I thought it would make for an interesting touch in the story. But he can't be like Gajeel, since he's a dark mage of an infamous dark guild. The Magic Council wouldn't let him go away no matter what.**

**I'm sorry if the ending felt slightly rushed, but I needed to get through it to get to better stuff.**

**I'm sorry that this is so close to canon, but there's an upcoming series of scenes which are MAJOR departures from canon, which I'm really looking forward to.**

**Be sure to review.**


	31. Dragon Aspect

_**Dragon Aspect**_

"Get off your ass frosty," Natsu said as Lucy helped to boost him up, "You heard everyone."

"I know," Gray said, as he also got back up, "We got to destroy all six lacrima at the same time."

"And someone may be lucky enough to get to take a shot at that Zero punk," Lucy said with a grin.

"We got 18 minutes!" Happy said, "We got to protect Wendy and Carla's guild!"

"_I can't… keep this transmission… much longer," _Hibiki forced out_, "I've transmitted the locations of the lacrima, each with a number. Each one pick a number."_

"I've got number one!" Natsu said.

"I'll take number two!" Gray said.

"I'll…" Natsu shot Lucy a glance, and Lucy figured that he wouldn't let her go to destroy a Lacrima.

"_I'll handle three,"_ Cobra said.

"_I can sense the vile parfume of four!"_ Ichiya said_, "I will destroy it, men!"_

**(with Erza)**

Erza decided to not to remind Ichiya about the map that was given.

"That leaves me with number five," she said. Jellal opened his mouth, but Erza grabbed his shoulder.

"You'll take number six," she said. Around that moment, the connection severed. Erza took a brief sigh of relief.

"Natsu doesn't know about what's going on," she said, "As far as he's aware, you're still an enemy."

**(with the group of three)**

"It looks like we got six people!" Happy said, "We need to go!"

"Right, now take Lucy again," Natsu said to Happy.

"Didn't you guys just go over this?" Gray asked.

"I don't care," Natsu said to Gray, before looking back to Lucy, "There's a chance you might run into Zero. If he did something to you, or our kid, I'd never forgive myself." _Wow_ Gray thought _I never knew Natsu could be this serious._

"I'm actually with Natsu on this," Lucy said, "I probably wouldn't be able to destroy one of lacrima anyway."

"Take Lucy away from here, Happy," Natsu said to his partner, "You've gotta to protect Lucy, and my kid."

"Aye sir!" Happy said saluting. With that, Natsu and Gray left. Lucy watched as they did. She then sat down, taking a breath.

"Let's take a breather," she said, "Then we'll go."

"But…"

"Come on, we'll probably be alright if we just stay here, right?" Lucy asked. That wasn't the reason actually. She said that she was alright with staying here with Natsu, but that wasn't true. Lucy wanted to fight with the man she loved; not to mention Natsu was no doubt more than a little drained, and probably not able to take Brain on his own. But she didn't want to risk the life of her baby.

"Oh Natsu, you really are going to be the death of us," Lucy muttered, remembering the words Erza said before all this happened.

**(with Natsu)**

Natsu's legs felt like lead, but he refused to even pause, as he trudged through the hall, and into the halls of one of the lacrima.

"Welcome," Zero said. Natsu didn't look at him, as he continued to pant.

"I have to confess, I'm impressed that you're still alive," Zero said, "Most people would bel lucky to be in _two_ pieces. So what brings you here?" Natsu lightly grinned, as Zero arched his eyebrow.

"I'm here to see who will still be in _one _piece in the end," Natsu answered as his chest started to glow.

**(with Erza and Wendy)**

"Chances are Zero is at number one," Erza said.

"Natsu went there!" Wendy said. Jellal blinked at the mention of Natsu's name. Cobra had since flown away with Cubelios.

"His nose is unparalleled," Erza explained, "He chose number one because he knew Zero was there."

"We should back him up!" Wendy said.

"Don't underestimate the Salamander," the red head said with a smile, "If anyone can handle Zero, its him." She then took a breath.

"Alright! Now let's each head to our places!" she instructed. But Jellal remained still.

"Nat…su."

**(with Natsu)**

"Fire Dragons' Iron Fist!" Zero easily leaned away from. Natsu countered with a kick, which his foe easily ducked. Natsu let out a stream of fire, that consumed Zero. But when the flames faded, Zero was unscathed, holding up his hand in defense.

"That was actually somewhat warm," he said, "Well done." He then pointed at Natsu, releasing a thin blast of dark energy at him. Natsu managed to avoid it, but the beam suddenly shot out smaller beams from the main one.

"You're quite mistaken if you think I fight the same way as Brain," Zero explained, "Quite the contrary as a matter of fact." He then flicked his finger, as the beam twisted around, blasting Natsu again.

"You said you wanted to see who will be in one piece, yes?" Brain said, "That answer is quite obvious, I'd say!"

"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!" Natsu tried to punch the beam, eventually shoving it off it. But his arm was nearly blown off, and the force it did on the Dragon Slayer was more than just immense.

"Stopping a magic designed for penetration head on?" Zero said, "I like your thinking. Its quite intriguing."

"I'm not you're entertainment!" Natsu snapped.

"Oh, I'd say you are," Zero answered, "You are far too weak to be called an opponent. I'd say you're too weak to even be called a nuisance."

"I'm going to turn you to ash!" Natsu declared, "Now…" He was silenced, when he was blasted by golden magic. Natsu couldn't even grunt, he was so surprised.

"Still got it," Jellal said as he walked into the hall.

"Ah, Jellal," Zero said, "So your memories have returned?"

"I suppose," Jellal answered, as he strolled down.

"JELLAL!" Natsu roared, as he sprung at him. He was quickly shot down with golden fire.

"You know fire doesn't work on me!" Natsu said. Zero narrowed his eyes. Jellal was smart enough to know that. He shouldn't have used that attack.

"Oh I know," Jellal answered, "I also know who you are, and what you stand for."

"What?" Zero snapped.

"Fire Dragon Slayer magic, as its name implies, is amplified by said element," Jellal said. Natsu looked at his body, which was cloaked in golden fire.

"So you're memory isn't back?" Zero asked.

"Can't say that it is," Jellal answered, "But I do know Natsu. I also know that Nirvana will stop, and that it will not be changed."

"Memory?" Natsu demanded.

"I don't remember anything prior to waking up back in that cave," Jellal answered, "All I know is that I was a monster who hurt so many . But all I want to do now is hel…"

"Shut the hell up!" Natsu snapped as he clobbered Jellal in the face, "You forgot about everything?! You think you can be all buddy with me now?!"

"Please, just accept my flame!" Jellal said.

"Up yours, you bastard!" Natsu said, "You made Erza cry!" Zero watched all this, as he pinched himself between the eyes.

"I've got better things to do than watch you two whine," he said, "Now why don't you run along?" He then blasted dark energy. Natsu turned, only to see Jellal spring in front of him, taking the bulk of the blast. Natsu stared in surprise. An familiar image from the Tower of Heaven came to mind, with a person Jellal killed. As he fell to the ground, he looked up at Natsu.

"Kill me if you want," Jellal said, "But for now, you need to defeat Zero." He then held out his hand, showing a golden flame.

**(with Wendy)**

"You can do this, right Wendy?" Carla asked, "This is supposed to be Jellal's task." She and her partner had arrived at the site of one of the lacrima, and was now waiting for the signal.

_(Flashback)_

"_You should let me heal you," Wendy said to Jellal, "You need to be at your best."_

"_I think it'd be more important to heal Natsu, actually," Jellal said._

"_She's already healed more people in one day than she's healed in a month!" Carla protested, "You can ask for that much!"_

"_I understand," Jellal said, "Then I guess I should be the one who should heal him."_

"_What do you mean?"_

"_I remembered the power of Natsu," Jellal said, "Erza's right, he can defeat Brain. I'm sorry to ask this of you, but you need to destroy the sixth lacrima."_

"_But…"_

"_You are a child of one of a dragon," Jellal said, "You have incredible potential, all you need do is eat the air, no, the sky. Awaken the great serpent within you!"_

_(End Flashback)_

"I will draw the power of the Sky Serpent!" Wendy said, "I will protect the guild with more own two hands!"

**(with Natsu)**

"This is the Flame of Rebuke," Jellal explained, holding out the fire, "I have no right to ask for forgiveness, but I do ask for you to use this power to fight this for. So please, let me believe in the man, that Erza believes in." Natsu looked at him in silence, before grasping the hand that held the fire.

The golden flames consumed Natsu, as he began to swallow it. The fire then began to concentrate into his eye.

"Finish him…"

"Eye of the Fire Dragon!" Natsu said loudly, as his Dragon's Eye glowed brightly.

"So that's the technique that overpowered Brain's magic?" Zero mused, "Good, but not great." But Natsu wasn't done, as he began to breathe heavily.

"Thanks for the food," he said, "Now I've got a fire in belly." He then fell to all fours, walking on three fingers, with the remaining two held back.

"I've heard of the Flame of Rebuke," Zero said, "In consuming it, you've absorbed Jellal's sins."

"Fairy Tail is no stranger to sin," Natsu said slowly, as his body began to glow. As his coat (but not his scarf) was burnt away, and that was when he began to change.

The fingers held back began to elongate, as a strange webbing began to form between them. A similar profusion came out of his elbow, with webbing connecting the ones from the fingers. The fingers on the floor, as well as Natsu's arms, were coated in red scales, as black claws appeared on the tips. Emerging out of the back of his head, from beneath his hair, were a crown of horns flaring out. As patches of red scales formed along his body, spines emerged from his back, culminating, with a long, thin tail launched out his back, lashing through the air.

A silence descended upon the room, as Zero looked at what was before him. Natsu opened his mouth, revealing razor sharp teeth, and a long tongue. He then glared at Zero darkly. He then held up his arms, revealing a massive pair of wings in their place.

"What is…" Zero got very harshly silenced, when he was rammed by Natsu in the gut.

"The greatest sin is to stop trusting other people!" Natsu roared. As Zero skidded away, he released another dark blast at Natsu. However, Natsu just waved his wing, swatting it away.

"Is this Dragon Force?" Zero muttered, as he looked over his foe, "No, this is even more powerful. is this… Dragon Aspect?" Natsu looked over his transformed body, from his wings, to his tail.

"All this power," he said, "Its even greater than Dragon's Eye! This is amazing, its like I'm an actual dragon!"

_So this is the ultimate form of a Dragon Slayer?_ Zero thought_ The magic that's said to be the same as the serpents of magic? With the power to destroy everything? _ He smiled at the thought of destruction.

"Very interesting," he said, "Now come at me! Let me taste your fire!"

"You're gong to do more than tasting it," Natsu said, as he opened his wings, and with one flap, was in the air. He then swooped down at Zero, who held up his arms. A massive shield of dark energy formed, which actually managed to block Natsu's fist as it brought it down. The Dragon Slayer flew around it, lashing out his tail at Zero, who managed to grab it, and threw Natsu away. Natsu turned, and breathed out a massive cloud of fire, which Zero blocked again. The Master looked as Natsu flew around him.

"Time to knock the dragon from the sky!" he said, "Dark Gravity!" The gravity of the area suddenly greatly increased, but Natsu didn't falter in the air.

"It takes more than that to bring down a dragon!" Natsu declared, "Now, Fire Dragon's Whiplash!" He then lashed his tail out, which let out a large streak of fire at Zero, who held up his hands to block it, but the force knocked him away.

"You worthless snake!" he yelled. Zero released a whip of dark energy at Natsu, which wrapped around his neck. He was then yanked down, and dragged around the wall, before being smashed into the floor. Zero was quickly upon him, releasing a wave of dark energy. Natsu wrapped himself in his wings, blocking the attack, but the force still knocked him back. In that moment, Zero released several blasts of dark energy, which hit Natsu straight in the torso, sending him careening away.

"For all that power, you still can't fully use it!" Zero said.

**(at the second lacrima)**

"Damn," Gray said, "We're running out of time."

**(at the third)**

"Cubelios!" Cobra instructed. The snake released her venom, which Cobra promptly swallowed.

**(at the fourth)**

"I finally got here! Men!" Ichiya said, as he hopped into the room, "Now the power of the parfume shall be witnessed!"

**(at the fifth)**

"Natsu," Erza muttered, "Don't you lose."

**(at the sixth)**

Wendy inhaled deeply, as she started to suck in all the air around.

**(with Natsu)**

Zero laughed at he grabbed one of Natsu's wings, and yanked on it hard, with his foot on the joint. Natsu let out a cry.

"You all thought you could defeat me?" Zero said, "What are you compared to me?" Natsu roared in pain, as he could feel his wing stressed.

"Leave him alone!" All sensations vanished from Natsu's mind, as he heard the voice. Zero turned, and saw Lucy standing before him.

"Lucy!" Natsu cried.

"Another insect has arrived," Zero said. Lucy just stood strong, as she stared Zero down.

"I said leave him alone!" Lucy said.

"Lucy! Run!" Natsu yelled.

"You seem like you've forgotten your place, child," Zero said, "Allow me to remind you." Unfortunately, that moment of distraction allowed Natsu to push him off. He then flapped weakly over to Lucy.

"Natsu, what happened?" Lucy asked, looking over her boyfriend's new form.

"Its a long story, but what are you doing here?" Natsu demanded, "I told you to leave!"

"I'm not going to let you fight alone!" Lucy said, "You make a big deal about protecting me, but if you think I'm going to take the risk of losing you, you've got another thing coming!" Natsu didn't have time to argue, as he sensed another blast of magic from Zero, and blocked with his wing.

"Open, Gate of the Golden Bull: Taurus!" Lucy yelled, as she summoned her perverted bull, who launched himself at Zero, only to be knocked away. That allowed Natsu to charge at Zero again, as he let loose more of his fire. Zero blocked the attack, only to get lashed across the face with Lucy's whip. He tried to turn back to the bone, only for Natsu to strike him the back with his claws, leaving three gashes.

"I'm truly impressed," Zero said as he skidded away, "Its a pity for such skilled fighters to destroy, but my patience has run its course! I'll give you a vision of my greatest magic as a reward for entertaining me!" He then looked to Lucy, which Natsu noticed, as he swooped down.

"Genesis Zero!" Dark energy swirled towards Lucy, which Natsu intercepted, as he wrapped the mother of his child in his wings. Suddenly, everything around the two stopped, as the two seemed to enter some mental state of complete unity.

_(in the mental world)_

_They were floating in a void of stars, embracing each other. Natsu wasn't half dragon anymore._

"_Natsu, what do we do?" Lucy asked. Natsu could see she was afraid._

"_You and I are together, we can do anything," he said, smiling._

"_That's easy to say," Lucy said, "But we need to have plan to defeat Zero!" Natsu thought for a time, as he took a breath._

"_What say we just do what Fairy Tail does best, improvise?" he said, grinning. Lucy looked up, wanting to protest, but she saw her boyfriend's smile. And suddenly, she felt completely safe. It was as if Natsu had all the answers. Of course he didn't, but the feeling was still there._

"_Why not?" Lucy asked._

_(in the real world)_

The two then began to both glow, Natsu a bright red, and Lucy a brilliant gold. The two were encompassed in darkness.

"Yes!" Zero roared, "Let the darkness wipe the light from all existence!" However, from the darkness, emerged a red and gold shine. Zero stared in shock, as the darkness was burnt away, as he saw the two lovers interlocked with each other.

"I won't lose!" Zero declared, as he released more of the darkness.

_We've got each other_ Natsu and Lucy thought together.

**(at the second lacrima)**

"Ice Make: Cannon!"

**(at the third)**

"Poison Dragon's Roar!"

**(at the fourth)**

"Behold my power parfume!" Ichiya roared, as he began to swell with muscle, "MEN!"

**(at the fifth)**

"Dance of One Hundred Swords!"

**(at the sixth)**

"Sky Dragon's Roar!"

**(with Natsu and Lucy)**

_And we've got all our friends together. And that's all we need._

"The dragon soars through the night sky," the lovers spoke, as the darkness again began to encompass them, "As it flies under the glow of the stars!" The two were encompassed in the glow, destroying the darkness in the process.

"Let the two become one! As the dark is driven away by the light!" The two then looked towards Zero, and both thrust their hands at Zero.

"**Burning Star!"** An orb of fire, consumed in the same glow Lucy gave off when summoning her spirits. It crashed into Zero's attack, blowing it away like it was nothing, and consuming Zero, crashing him into the lacrima, shattering it.

At the same time, all the others struck the lacrima, obliterating them. Almost simultaneously, the legs of Nirvana blew apart, as the colossal structure fell to the ground, never to move again.

Natsu and Lucy looked at each other, and pressed their foreheads together.

"We should start thinking about names," Natsu said.

**Note: I hope you liked this final fight. The idea of Dragon Aspect, is its Dragon Force put together with Dragon's Eye. As you can see, its quite powerful, and I hope to use it again as soon as possible, as its fun to write about. I also really wanted to bring Lucy into the final fight, as they ultimately defeat Zero by performing a Unison raid together. I thought it would be a good touch for their relationship.**

**Next chapter will start wrap up the Oracion Seis arc. After that, I'm going to have an arc of my own, with some things and characters my readers might recognize.**

**Be sure to review.**


	32. Scarlet Sky

_**Scarlet Sky**_

Jellal smiled, as he watched Natsu and Lucy float back to the ground. Natsu's draconic features faded away, as did his Dragon's Eye. _I knew he would go above and beyond expectations, but that girl was plain astounding_ he thought.

The moment was abruptly shattered when the entire structure began to shake. The stone began to crack, and collapse. Nirvana was coming down.

"What's going on!" Lucy cried.

"Nirvana's falling apart!" Jellal answered, as he tried to get up, "We have to get out of here!"

"Why did I get rid of my wings?!" Natsu lamented.

**(at the fourth lacrima)**

A rock tumbled down in Ichiya's direction. There was a very distinct "clonk". A pained "men" could be heard throughout the halls.

**(at the sixth)**

"Come on Wendy!" Carla said as she lead the Dragon Slayer away.

"Hold on Carla!" Wendy said, "I'm… KYAH!" Wendy fell to the ground, in a fashion that oddly mimicked how she fell when she first met the others.

"Wendy!" Carla red as rubble tumbled down to them. In an instant, both of them were whisked up, as a wall of rock formed over them.

"Jura!" Wendy said excitedly.

"My apologies Ms Wendy, I should've been here instead of you," Jura said, "I do my title a disservice!"

**(outside)**

Eventually, almost everyone managed to slide out of Nirvana's wreckage. Erza wiped her brow.

"I guess that will make one great story," she said.

"Is everyone alright?" Gray asked.

"I am! Men!" a musclebound Ichiya said as he ran through the dust. _As if he wasn't unpleasant enough to look at?_ Erza thought.

"I'm alright!" Happy piped up as he skidded down.

"What about Ms. Lucy, and Mr. Natsu?" Jura asked.

"Jellal's not here, either," Wendy said. As if on cue, the ground swirled up, as Richard emerged form the earth.

"Love lifts us up, indeed," he said. In one arm he was carrying Lucy, and in the other Jellal.

"Richard!" Jura said excitedly.

"Lucy's alright!" Erza said with a sigh of relief.

"And so is Jellal!" Wendy commented.

"But what about Natsu?" Happy asked nervously. Lucy stirred, as she slowly opened her eyes.

"Natsu!" she cried, as she thrashed in Richard's hold, causing him to drop her. She then tried to stand up, only to slip back to the ground.

"Where's my Natsu?" she demanded, looking around, "Where is he?"

"Come on Flame Brain!" Gray said, looking around, "Don't give up just yet!"

"Natsu!" Wendy cried out.

"Relax, you're voices are so shrill." That was when Cubelios flew done, with Cobra on her back, and Natsu in one of her coils.

"This guy wasn't hard to find," Cobra explained as Cubelios dropped Natsu, who looked up and blinked.

"What just happened?" he asked.

"Natsu!" Lucy cried, as she got up to embrace, only for someone to run past him.

"Big brother!" Wendy said happily as she hugged Natsu, "You saved my guild! Thank you so much!" Natsu smiled, as he put hand on Wendy's head.

"That wasn't just me, you know, it was everyone's power who saved it," Natsu said, "Including your's!" Wendy smiled up at him in happiness, tears stream from her eyes. Lucy then ran up, hugging Natsu tightly.

"Don't you do that to me again!" she said, looking up in angry, but joyful tears.

"Cobra, you're here?" Richard asked.

"Hoteye?" Cobra said, looking over as he jumped to ground level, Cubelios coiling up beside him, "What'd happen to you that you'd be here?"

"My eyes were opened to the power of love!" Hoteye said, spreading his arms in happiness, "Has that also happened to you?"

"Brain shot me in the back," Cobra answered, "I wasn't going to let him win after that."

"Good, three of the Oracion Seis are here!" Klodoa said. He was on Cobra's belt, but had now jumped off.

"We can rebuild it, with me as the new Br…"

"Shut up!" Natsu said, as he slammed Klodoa into the ground. Lucy and Gray then looked over at Jellal.

"Do you know who that is?" Gray asked.

"I was about to ask you that," Lucy said, "Maybe's he's part of Lamia Scale?"

"I was thinking he was Blue Pegasus," Gray commented.

"That's Jellal," Erza said.

"Jellal!"

"That's guy who Natsu beat at the Tower of Heaven?" Lucy asked.

"Not exactly," Erza answered.

"He lost all his memories," Wendy explained, "Which I'm glad. I like him when he's nice." Erza then walked over to Jellal.

"Thank for your help," she said, "I don't know what would've happened if not of you."

"Don't thank me," Jellal said, "I don't deserve it."

"Don't be so hard on yourself, you helped to defeat Zero," Erza said, "What are your plans now?"

"I don't have any," Jellal said, before clenching his fists nervously, "My fear is that my memories will return, and all the terrors will return." He stared at the ground, until he felt a hand squeeze his shoulder.

"I'm here, I won't let that happen," Erza said, smiling gently, "Even if it returns, you won't change. You're a better man than that."

"Mmmeeennn!" The moment was abruptly ruined by Ichiya's moaning.

"What's with you?" Gray asked, looking at Ichiya.

"I'm trying to go to the bathroom, but this shield is denying me the right!" Ichiya moaned.

"What happened with these letters?" Wendy asked.

"Its a rune spell!" Klodoa said.

"We're trapped!" Lucy said.

"When did this happen!" Natsu said, as he pulled her close.

"Sucks for you," Cobra said, as he appeared with Cubelios just outside the barrier, "I could hear the barriers being formed."

"What are going to do, Cobra?" Richard asked.

"I'm getting out of here," Cobra explained, "I'm going into hiding." Cubelios slithered over to him, nuzzling him again.

"Sorry girl," Cobra said, smiling, and pressing his head to her own, "Not this time. I can't make you run with me all this time. You'll just me in danger." Cubelios hissed in protest, but Cobra shoved her, and in surprise, Cubelios fell into the barrier. With that, Cobra vanished into the trees, as Cubelios hissed in sadness.

"Are we just going to let him go?" Gray asked.

"We don't have much choice, but it doesn't matter, we've got company," Erza said.

"There will be no more violence," a new voice perked up. Everyone saw a platoon of the Magic Council advancing in their direction, with a man with tied up black hair, and glasses stand before them.

"I am Lahar, head of the reformed Council's 4th Custody Enforcement Unit," the man explained.

"So the councils' been reformed?" Jura muttered.

"We were reformed to protect law and justice," Lahar explained, "We will not not tolerate nay form of discord."

"But we haven't done anything!" Happy protested.

"You may not have, but there is one who is of the Oracion Seis," Lahar said, "The one known as Hoteye!" Richard balked in surprise at that.

"Wait!" Jura said, "You can't take him! I won't allow it!"

"Its okay Jura," Richard said, putting a hand on his shoulder, "I may have been exposed to the light, but it doesn't undo the darkness that's already been done. I must atone for it."

"If that's the case, tell me your brother's name," Jrua said, "I will search for him in your stead."

"Really?" Richard asked, "Well then, his name is Wally Buchanan."

"Wally?" Erza asked, perking up.

"Wasn't he the square guy?" Happy asked.

"I know him!" Erza said.

"You do?" Richard asked in surprise.

"He's a friend of mine," Erza explained, "Last I heard, he was traveling Ishgar, and was in good condition." Richard heard that, as he began to tear up, before collapsing to the ground in sobs of happiness.

"I've only recently turned to good, and already fate has rewarded me," he said, "Thank you, so much! Thank you!" With that, he was escorted away.

"I actually feel kind of sorry for him," Lucy said.

"Aye," Happy agreed.

"Now will you PLEASE remove the spell?" Ichiya begged, "I can't promise something won't slip out!"

"No," Lahar answered much to Ichiya's despair, "Oracion Seis wasn't our only target." He then pointed into the group.

"We seek a worse villain," he explained, "The one who infiltrated, and destroyed the old council, causing the firing of Etherion. Jellal Fernandes!"

"What!" Natsu said, "You can't be serious!"

"We're fully serious," Lahar answered, 'He can't be allowed to live in this world ever again!" Jellal was promptly cuffed by soldiers.

"Stop!" Wendy said, "He's lost all his memories! He doesn't remember any of his wrong doings!"

"That doesn't matter," Lahar said, "Ignorance of one's crime does not pardon them."

"Its okay," Jellal said, "I won't resist."

"Smart man," Lahar said. Jellal smiled at Wendy, who was tearing up slightly.

"I can't remember you," he said, "But the knowledge that I may have helped someone makes me glad." He then looked at Erza.

"And thank you, Erza, for everything you did for me." With that, Jellal began to be lead away. _I can't let this happen_ Erza thought _Jellal will be gone, just when when he was freed from the darkness._

"Is that all you really want to say?" Lahar asked, "You won't see this people ever again. That's a nearly absolute."

"That's so…," Lucy began.

"No..," Wendy muttered. Erza clenched her fists, as she glared at the Council. _I…_

"The hell's he's leaving!" Natsu declared as he punched one guy in the face. Much to everyone's surprise.

"What are you doing!" Lamar demanded.

"Get out of my way!" Natsu said, "He's one of us! And we're taking him home!"

"Natsu," Wendy whispered. Erza just stared. Jellal cringed at the sight of all that.

"Seize him!" Lamar ordered, as the soldiers went for Natsu, only to be knocked away by Gray.

"Go!" Gray instructed, "You need to get to him!"

"Gray!" Happy called.

"It pisses me off that this guy helped defeat Nirvana!" Gray yelled, "And you thank him by locking him up!"

"You would punish this man from his wrong doings, but completely ignore his good?" Jura asked, as he slammed his fist into his palm, glaring, "And you claim to fight for justice?"

"This man is precious to my dear Erza!" Ichiya said, "I must not allow him to be taken!" He released all sorts of strange scents, that didn't so much stave off the soldiers, as much as it irritated them. Meanwhile, Lucy and Happy were throwing punches at the guards, but not really doing anything.

"I'm not really hurting any of you, so I'm not doing wrong, right?" Lucy asked.

"Aye!"

"Please don't take him away!" Wendy begged, as she also tried to fight.

"You aren't allowed to go!" Natsu said, as he pushed through the soldiers, "You've got to stay with Erza! You've got to come with us!" His chest was starting to glow brightly, as he fought. Meanwhile, The others were also fighting.

"Arrest them all!" Lamar desperately ordered, "They are guilty of obstruction of justice, and aiding in the escape of a prisoner!" The soldiers tried to charge at the mages.

"STOP!" Everyone stopped, as they looked at Erza.

"That's enough," Erza said, "There's no reason to keep doing this. Take Jellal away."

"Erza!" Natsu said, "What are you doing?"

"Don't worry, Natsu," Jellal said, as he glanced back at Erza. He smiled.

"You're hair, that's how you got your name," he said, as he disappeared into the Council's carriage, "Farewell." With that, the Council started to leave.

"Wait!" Happy said, "What about this?" He held up Klodoa, who remained still. The staff had the sense to stay silent.

"Its just a staff, useless without its wielder," Lahar said, "You may keep it." With that, the Council departed.

"Bunch of bastards," Gray muttered, "They of course are absent during Nirvana, but when its over, and all the works been done, then they suddenly appear."

"Regardless," Jura said, "The Council has spoken, and we may all hate it, but its done."

**(later)**

The group was resting after the trouble. They were planning to head back out soon, but needed to regain their energy.

"Where'd Erza go?" Happy asked.

"I don't know," Lucy said. A sleeping Natsu was in her lap, as Lucy rubbed his head.

"But we should let her have her alone time, this is no doubt hard on her." Sure enough, Erza was further put he hill, staring at the sky.

_(Flashback)_

"_Jellal Fernandes?" Wally asked, "That's not easy to remember."_

"_Says the kid named Wally Buchanan," Jellal answered, "I'm definitely going to forget that." Wally then looked at Erza._

"_What about you?" he asked._

"_Oh, I'm just Erza," Erza answered, "Nothing really else."_

"_That sucks," Jellal said, as he stood up,reaching for Erza's hair._

"_Hey!" Erza said, "That's my personal space!"_

"_You've got such nice hair, with that scarlet color," Jellal said. He then slammed his fist into his palm._

"_That's it! We can call you Erza Scarlet!" Erza ran her hand through her hair._

"_Scarlet?" she asked._

"_Well its the color of your hair, so it won't be hard to remember," Jellal said with a smile._

_(End Flashback)_

"Jellal….," Erza murmured, as tears began to stream down her face. The sun began to rise, as Erza began to sob openly. The sun was the same scarlet color. Normally it would be beautiful to see, full of passion. But this time, there was no passion, or warmth. It was sad, as if the sun were expressing its sympathy to the Queen of Faries.

**Note: Let me say, I have ZERO respect for the Magic Council in FT universe. They didn't seem interested in protecting "justice" or "order", they were only interested in preserving their own power. Also, they always came back in, **_**after**_** the fighting has ended, and do the easy work after everyone does the hard work.**

**Someone posted an anonymous review asking about EOTBD. Never do that. Never post on one story just to ask about another. I can't think of any writer who likes that. EOTBD is a work in progress, and its a lot harder to do, since it varies so much more from canon. Also the Oracion Seis arc doesn't lend itself to any changes really at all.**

**Be sure to review.**


	33. A Guild for One

_**A Guild for One**_

The alliance was recuperating in Cait Shelter, before they planned to head back to their respective homes. The girls were all dressed in clothes designed by the guild. The remains of Nirvana were being studied by the Magic Council.

"This is so cute"! Lucy said, as she twirled.

"You're nothing compared to me," Sherry commented. Lucy opted to ignore her.

"The whole community makes up the guild," Wendy explained, "And fabric working is sort of a hobby."

So I guess its a passed down talent, or something?" Lucy asked.

"I guess," Wendy answered with a pause.

"You weren't aware of the Nirvit heritage of the of the guild?" Sherry asked.

"Yeah, I joined from the outside. Actually, I was the only one to join after its formation." Lucy looked over at Erza, noticing she was still staring out the window.

"Come on, Erza!" Lucy said, "Try something on too!"

"I guess so," Erza said , as she got up to try something on. Lucy watched in worry.

"How long has Cait Shelter been part of the guild system?" Sherry asked, "Because, in all honesty, I've never really heard about the guild before this whole fiasco."

"Neither did I," Lucy said.

"Well, our guild isn't exactly the best known," Wendy admitted.

"I never really cared about it," Carla said, "And its not important. Everyone's outside waiting for us."

**(outside the guild hall)**

Everyone noticed the girls coming up. Natsu looked at Lucy, as his face lit up.

"You're so cute!" he said, as he hugged her.

"Thanks," Lucy said, blushing, "But I'm worried about what will happen once I start showing."

"Oh yeah, you're pregnant!" Wendy said, smiling. All eyers were suddenly on an even redder Lucy.

"Ah, a baby, the ultimate fruit of love," Sherry said dramatically.

"That's a nice ray of hope," Lyon said, "Good to know after all of this happened."

"My most heartfelt congratulations," Jura said, smiling, "Without a doubt, your child is going to be a stupendous warrior."

"You foolish men!" Ichiya said, as he jumped in front of the Trimen, "You had the gall to flirt with a mother to be!"

"Our sincere apologies, Master!" the men said, "We were not aware she was pregnant!"

"Um, its not a problem," Lucy said to them, sweat dropping. She looked at Erza, expecting her to jump all over Lucy in happiness, but saw her still staring into space.

"Will you pleased remain focused?" Carla asked. Everyone then turned their attention back to Cait Shelter.

"Thanks aren't enough," Roubaul said, "Not only did you defeat the Oracion Seis, but you stopped Nirvana."

"You are very welcome, Master Roubaul!" Ichiya said, "The war with Oracion Seis was one fierce battle after another! It as no easy task! Yet our bonds of friendship lead to victory!"

"Yes teacher!" the Trimen said.

"He didn't defeat anyone did he?" Lucy asked.

"No, he just wants to have all the attention," Gray answered.

"You both did well," Jura said to Lyon and Sherry, "You do our guild's name very well."

"Its time to party!" Natsu said excitedly, as he threw his arm around Lucy's shoulder.

"Aye sir!" Happy said.

"After all this chaos, I'm thankful to have a party for this," Lucy said.

"A party, eh?" Gray said. For once he was wearing a shirt. No, this time, he wasn't wearing any pants.

"Will you put your pants on!" Lucy yelled.

"I'm up for that," Lyon said. He also wasn't wearing any pants.

"You too!"

"Now Cait Shelter, join us! Men!" Ichiya said. However, the guild maintained their serious expressions, must to everyone's surprise.

"I'm sorry," Roubaul said, "But I've been lying to you about the Nirvits."

"You ruined the mood for that?" Happy asked.

"I don't really care about that," Natsu said.

"Neither do I, Master," Wendy piped up.

"You all need to listen to what I have to say," Roubaul said, "First, and most important, we're not the descendants of the Nirvit tribe. We _are_ in fact the Nirvit tribe. And I was the one who first created Nirvana." Everyone stared in shock.

"Wait, that was four hundred years ago!" Happy said.

"Indeed it was. Four hundred years ago, in a ploy to to permanently end the wars of the world, I created Nirvana as a way to reverse everything. Nirvana was our nation, and we wandered the world, cleansing the world of darkness. But I failed to notice the fact that the darkness wasn't being destroyed, it was being absorbed."

"Absorbed?" Erza asked.

"It was a matter of balance," Roubaul explained, "Fully getting rid of darkness is all but impossible. For all the light in the world, there will be the same amount of darkness in the world. If darkness is taken away, then light must take its place, and vie versa."

"I guess that makes sense, though I'm glad nobody got caught in the darkness," Gray said.

"The darkness that had been absorbed by Nirvana began to settle into my brethren. In no time, we were fighting amongst ourselves, until there was no one left by myself." Everyone continued to stare in silent awe, though Wendy's stare was somehow the worst.

"Looking back that's probably not entirely accurate either," Roubaul furthered explained, "My own body perished, but my spirit preserved in order to keep Nirvana subdued, a process that took four hundred years. But now that Nirvana has been destroyed, my task has been complete."

"But… but…," Wendy stuttered.

"Wendy," Lucy said softly. Slowly, every guild member began to fade away.

"What!" Wendy cried, "Mala! Perks! What's going on?!"

"All the guild members are vanishing!" Hibiki said, looking around.

"You can't go away!" Wendy cried, "You can't leave me!"

"I'm sorry for deceiving you like this, Wendy," Roubaul said solemnly, "But all the members, the entire guild, were all just one big illusion." Wendy was so surprised, she couldn't talk.

"What?!" Natsu said.

"You mean these were all living illusions?" Erza asked, "Is that even possible?"

"In order to ensure I could watch over Nirvana, I lived alone here, until a young boy came with me, with a young girl. He asked me to take care of the girl. I was so taken back by the boy's eyes, I had to agree. But despite myself…"

_(Flashback)_

_A young Wendy stirred, as she looked around._

"_Where… were am I?" she asked, before looking at Roubaul, "Old man…"_

"_Uh…," Roubaul said slowly._

"_Jellal said he was taking me to a guild," Wendy said, as she teared up, "But… what is this?" Roubaul ran his thoughts, as he thought about the course of action, before it suddenly came to him._

"_This is the guild he was talking about!" he said excitedly, "Its called…. Cait Shelter! Its a guild of mages!"_

"_Really?" Wendy asked, smiling._

"_Step out, and meet the others!" Roubaul._

_(End Flashback)_

"I couldn't turn you away, so I created this illusionary guild," Roubaul said.

"So this whole guild was created just for Wendy?" Lucy asked.

"NO!" Wendy cried, "Please let this not be true! You can't disappear! You can't leave me alone!" Carla just stared n sadness.

"You won't be alone," Roubaul said, as he himself began to fade, "I see many comrades behind you right now. Your future awaits. Seek it out!"

"Master!" Wendy cried, as she ran to him, only for him to fully vanish.

"_Thank you for everything, everyone. Please take care of Wendy and Carla."_ Wendy fell to her knees, as the symbol on her shoulder faded away. Carla just averted her eyes, to hide her tears. Meanwhile, Wendy burst into sobs. Everyone watched in sorrow and sympathy, save for Natsu, who walked over to her. He then picked her up, and held her close.

"Don't cry," he said softly, "You're too nice to cry. I know its sad to lose people you love, but know that you're never alone." Natsu then lifted her head, to look at him.

"I'm your big brother," he said, "Its my job to help you carry the sadness." Wendy looked up in tears, as she sobbed into Natsu's chest.

"Come with us," Natsu said, "Come to Fairy Tail."

**(sometime later, on a ship)**

Unfortunately, Wendy's spell to help Natsu with his motion sickness proved only temporary, and he was again in Lucy's lap. Somehow lying there seemed to help him slightly.

"Are you sure you can't give him another dose of that healing magic?" Lucy asked.

"Sorry, but the effects diminish over time," Wendy explained with an embarrassed smile.

"So you and Wendy are really coming to Fairy Tail?" Happy asked Carla happily.

"Only to stay with Wendy," Carla answered.

"I'm really excited about it!" Wendy said happily. Lucy smiled at that, as she remembered how everyone went their separate ways.

_(Flashback)_

"_Let our parfume reunite once again, my dear Erza!" Ichiya said, "And Lucy, may your child grow strong!"_

"_Thank you!" Lucy said, smiling._

"_Ichiya is certainly a fine name. Men!" Lucy shuddered at the notion of that voice coming out of her baby._

"_I'm sure."_

"_Next time you guys should come to Blue Pegasus," Eve said."We can make your honeymoon quite memorable," Hibiki said. Gray and Lyon shook hands._

"_Next time we meet, let's have a duel," Lyon said._

"_Why would you want that?" Gray asked, with a smile, "I'd kick your ass." Meanwhile, Ren and Sherry were standing next to each other._

"_Aren't you going to leave?" Sherry asked._

"_Are you hoping that I won't?" Ren said, "Will you be lonely?" Both of them were flushed red._

"_What's with them?" Happy asked. Lucy smiled. She could sense the feeling between the two of them, and it was reminiscent of her and Natsu._

"_Nothing," she said kindly._

_(Pause Flashback)_

"I hope we'll see them all again soon," Lucy said. She had also got three new Golden Keys, the ones that used to belong to Angel, those being Aries, Scorpio, and Gemini. The three were very excited to be with a new summoner, who would no doubt treat them far better.

"Of course we will," Gray said, "Lyon will pester me non stop sometimes."

"What do we do about the snake?" Lucy asked. Everyone looked over at the purple snake, coiled up in the of the ship. Natsu insisted that they bring her along with them, saying that they needed to take care of her.

_(Continue Flashback)_

"_You want to bring the snake with us?" Gray asked, "The hell for?"_

"_She didn't really do anything wrong," Natsu explained, "She was just doing what Cobra told her. Besides, Cobra helped us out with Nirvana, and we owe him."_

"_I guess that make sense," Lucy said, "Besides, the snake didn't do anything since the end of Nirvana. What's the harm?"_

"_You sure about this?" Erza asked._

"_Of course," Natsu said, "And clearly the snake isn't bad."_

_(Pause Flashback_

"We can ask the Master," Erza said, "He'll know what to do with it."

"I think the snake's a 'she'," Lucy said. Erza listened to her, but she wasn't really paying attention. She was remembering some of her own.

_(Continue Flashback)_

"_Ms. Erza, if I may have a moment of your time?" Jura asked as he came up to Erza._

"_Of course." The two walked off, before Jura leaned in._

"_Keep in mind, that the defeat of the Oracion Seis will begin to spread around the magic underworld," Jura said, "No doubt other dark guilds and dark lords will begin to compete for its position."_

"_We'll remain on guard," Erza said._

"_Be sure to," Jura said, "Chances are we'll be seeing them soon." _

_(End Flashback)_

Erza ran her thoughts for potential threats. She couldn't think of any dark guilds, or dark lords, who were _that_ major of a threat. But there was no telling how quick that could've changed. Erza _did _know about a few particularly powerful lords, who would probably be able to take control of the guilds that Oracion Seis once controlled, but she didn't know much about them.

For now, though, she put those thoughts out of her head, as they approached the dock. From there, it was a quick ride (not so quick for Natsu) to Fairy Tail.

**(at Fairy Tail)**

"To make a long story short," Erza said, "Wendy and Carla are all new members, and if you don't treat them well, I'll kick your ass!"

"Hello everyone!" Wendy said, as she smiled at everyone. Immediately, everyone swooned at the sight of Wendy and Carla.

"She's so cute!" Wakaba said.

"There's even a girl Happy!" Bixlow said.

"Welcome back, Erza," Makarov said as Erza approached the bar.

"Thank you Master. I'm glad its over with."

"So are we!" Mirajane said.

"Hopefully we'll have a period of peace," Makarov said, "But no doubt the other dark guilds will want to take the Oracion Seis' position."

"Yes, Jura warned me about that as well," Erza said.

"But it doesn't matter for now, we must welcome our new guild members!" Makarov announced.

"Lu!" Levy called, as she hugged her blonde friend.

"Levy!" Lucy said happily. Obviously Levy was happy, but as for Juvia…

"My beloved Gray!" she cried, "I'm so happy you're back!" To that extent, she literally cried a river, that swept several people away.

"Can't you stop her Gray?" Warren asked.

"Why do I have to do anything?!" Gray answered. Suddenly, everyone screamed. Cubelios was slithering up the bar.

"Its a giant snake!"

"Its so gross!"

"I think its kind of cute," Mirajane said, as she smiled at Cubelios.

"What's this, Erza?" Makarov asked.

"This snake was the pet/mount of one of Cobra of Oracion Seis," Erza explained, "He helped us stop Nirvana, and managed to escape. Natsu thinks we need to take care of it."

"I'll do it!" Mirajane said, smiling big, as she hugged Cubelios, "I love snakes!"

"That isn't a snake," Makarov said, as he looked at Cubelios. He then stood up, and waved his hand. The snake let out a pained hiss, as she glowed a brilliant purple. Everyone stared, as when the glow faded, a young, purple haired girl lay on the floor.

"Its a girl," Freed said.

"And she's naked!" Macao said, as he flared red. Erza was the first to react, as he put a blanket over the girl.

"Take her to the infirmary!" Makarov ordered.

**(in the Fairy Tail infirmary)**

"So the snake was a girl the whole time?" Happy asked.

"Probably from a curse," Erza said.

"Poor girl, I can't imagine being like that for so long," Macao said.

"Yeah, must've been like hell," Wakaba added.

"I don't know," Lucy said, "That guy really loved her as a snake. He actually left he because he was afraid that he'd be putting her in danger." The girl then grunted.

"She's waking up!" Happy said. She stirred as she slowly looked up.

"Wh.. where am I?" she asked, "Who are you people?" Makarov jumped up to her level on the table.

"You are at a magic guild, called Fairy Tail," he explained, "What's your name?"

"My name's Kinana," the girl answered.

"Do you remember anything?"

"Well, I don't really remember that much," Kinana said, rubbing her head, "But I remember one thing." She then smiled, as she looked out the window.

"I remember that there is someone very important," she said, "I remember his voice, saying that he will one day come back to me." She then swooned slightly.

"Maybe its some handsome prince who will come someday to carry me away for a happy ending!" Kinana said happily. Lucy pulled some of the others away, save for Mirajane, who was keeping Kinana company.

"Do you think that voice was Cobra's?" she asked.

"For her sake, I hope not," Wakaba said, "She just got out the darkness, and regardless of how she was treated, I certainly wouldn't want to remember all those horrible things that were done."

"But that still leaves the voice, its still there," Macao said.

"It probably is that Oracion Seis man," Makarov said, "He is still on the loose."

"Well, regardless, it would be best if we kept this to ourselves," Lucy said, "Kinana doesn't have to know about all this for now."

"Well I guess there's nothing to it now, what's done is done," Makarov said as he lead the others out.

"I don't think Cobra will cause trouble," Erza said, "He turned down a chance to escape with Brain's talking staff."

"Come again?"

"Oh yeah!" Happy said, as he flew away, before coming back with a box. After opening….

"Gah!" Klodoa cried as he jumped out, "Man that was cramped!"

"The hell is this?!" Makarov demanded in surprise.

"I'm the seventh member of the Oracion Seis! Klodoa!"

"He's not really that useful without Brain," Erza explained, "And the Magic Council wasn't interested in taking him."

"So we're burdened with him now? Terrific," Makarov said, rubbing his temple.

"I won't let you win!" Klodoa said, "I will…" He was silenced by Makarov when he was grabbed the head.

"Does this guy ever shut up?"

"Not really," Lucy answered. All of a sudden, her hand was grabbed by Natsu, who was absolutely beaming.

"Natsu, what's….," then it dawned on her, "Oh please, not again!" Natsu picked up Lucy, and jumped up onto the stage, to look over everyone.

"Attention!" he yelled. Everyone looked at Natsu.

"Please Natsu!" Lucy cried.

"Lucy and I are having a baby!"

**Note: Sorry to end it here, but this chapter was getting pretty long. My hope is to start the original arc next chapter, which will hopefully be good. I also hope I did good with Kinana. I'd certainly like to expand on her, but I'm not entirely sure how.**

**Be sure to review.**


	34. Rumors in the Dark

_**Rumors in the Dark**_

There was a silence, as everyone in the guild stared at the grinning Natsu, and incredibly embarrassed Lucy. As it turned out, Mira was the first to talk. Well… using the term "talk" loosely.

"KYAH!' she cried loudly, before she collapsed to the ground, her eyes hearts.

"She fainted!" Lucy said. The guild then soon erupted into cheers.

"That's amazing Lu!" Levy said as she threw herself onto Lucy in a hug.

"Crap, I misread these," Cana said, looking at her cards, "They said those two would _really_ bang next year."

"You made predictions about my sex life!" Lucy wailed.

"Wow, Natsu sure works fast," Macao said.

"Now I can be a big brother!" Romeo said excitedly.

"Natsu's a real man!" Elfman said, "As I'm sure his kid'll be!"

"It might be a girl, you know," Warren said.

"Juvia is really happy for you!" Juvia said happily. Since Lucy got together with Natsu, the two girls had become quite good friends. And Lucy was quite thankful to not have Juvia constantly accusing her of being a "love rival".

"You know if you ever want a puppet show for your kid, I'm here," Bixlow said, "My babies can put on quite a show!"

"Show! Show! Show!" Meanwhile, Erza paused, and looked at Lucy, as she began to turn red.

"Natsu!" Erza roared as she pounced him on like a lion. The Dragon Slayer didn't even have time to react as Erza had him pinned.

"How could you have done this to Lucy!" she demanded, "You stole her innocence!" Apparently it finally hit her that Lucy was pregnant.

"Erza!" Lucy said quickly, waving her hands, "Its okay, I went along with it!" Erza then jumped up to Lucy, as she looked over her.

" As people crowded around Natsu and Lucy, the blonde couldn't help but smile at all that. She was happy to know she had so many friends around her.

"What're you getting so excited about?" Klodoa asked, as he jumped onto the counter, "Its just a lame kid!"

"Shut up you!" Happy said as he kicked the staff in the jaw.

"Piss off you stupid cat!" Klodoa snapped.

"Why do we still have him around?" Alzack asked.

"He just seems to be a big loudmouth," Bisca noted.

"Well, the alternative is let him roam free, since the Magic Council apparently won't take him," Makarov said, "So I hate to say it, but we've got no choice but to keep an eye on him ourselves."

"So now we're saddled with this guy?" Max said, "Oh joy."

"Don't forget I'm of the Oracion Seis!" Klodoa said, "And you will fear me!" Instead of anybody "fearing" him, he was rather promptly grabbed, and locked in the closet.

"We now have four new members to welcome!" Makarov proclaimed, raising his mug in pride, "Wendy, Carla, Kinana, and now Natsu and Lucy's child! Let us drink!" Lucy laughed at that, as the guild started to celebrate.

"Wow, Fairy Tail sure is exciting," Wendy said.

"I'm not entirely impressed," Carla said, "And this might become annoying later."

"So what kind of magic do you use?" Laki asked.

"Oh, well I use Healing Magic, I'm the Sky Dragon Slayer," Wendy explained. The people who had asked the question stared at her in surprise, before everyone erupted in excitement.

"Now we've got three Dragon Slayers!" Reedus said.

"How many guilds get to brag about that?" Warren asked.

"We're practically invincible like this!" Vijeeter said. Wendy couldn't help but smile at all this going around her.

"During all this, Gajeel watched from upstairs. He looked at Happy, then at Carla.

"All the Dragon Slayers have cats," he mused, "Why don't I have a cat?"

**(the next day, at Lucy's house)**

"Damn!" the landlady grumbled as she stomped up the stairs, "That girl's late on rent again!" She banged on door.

"Child!" she bellowed, "Come out this instant! You owe me rent!" There was no answer. Not the most patience of women, the landlady promptly kicked the door down.

"Now girl….," she stopped when she saw everything. There were boxes all around, and the room was looking strangely empty.

"Oh, hello!" Lucy said politely as she came out of the bathroom, smiling.

"What's going on here?" the landlady asked, "Where's the rent?"

"Oh, I'm moving out," Lucy said, still smiling.

"You are?" the landlady asked in surprise. She knew that the girl was often tight on money, so she tried to be reasonable on the rent. But if she was moving out…

"Did you find a cheaper place?"

"In a way, yes," Lucy said, as she put another book in a box, before turning, and grinning bright, "I'm moving in with my boyfriend!"

"Your boyfriend?" the landlady asked.

"That's what she said!" Natsu said, as he jumped into the window.

"You're that boy who is always breaking things!" the landlady said angrily, "Get out of here!"

"Don't worry, we're both in the progress of that," Lucy said, as she handed Natsu a box, who handed it off to Happy. Natsu then jumped in, and picked up several boxes on his own, not showing any strain.

"Why this all of a sudden?"

"I'm pregnant," Lucy answered, patting her stomach, "And I'd like to be with the baby's father." Natsu smiled.

"And I ain't letting Lucy out of my sight until she has the baby!" he said proudly. Lucy grinned, and kissed him on the cheek. The landlady smiled at that.

"Normally I'd ask for this month's rent anyway, but how can I do that to a mother to be?" she asked. Lucy paused, before smiling big.

"Thank you, ma'am!" she said, "That means a lot!"

Eventually, the group had gotten out all the boxes, and were now heading to Natsu's house. He was carrying most of them on his back, while Lucy dragged her suitcase behind her. Happy hugged her stomach.

"I'm going to teach you all about fish!" he said to the unborn child, "You and I will go fishing in the lake, and the ocean, and…"

"I think I should raise him on more than fish," Lucy said, smiling.

"But fish solves everything!" Happy said. The couple chuckled at that. Lucy had initially been hesitant about moving in permanently with Natsu. True, she loved him deeply, but it was still a big change of pace.

"Wendy should be coming too!" Natsu said, pouting, "She's my little sister!" Wendy and Carla had instead opted to move into the girls dorm, much to Natsu's disappointment.

"Well, you can't cling onto Wendy like that," Lucy said, "Besides from what I've heard, your house is pretty small." As it turned out, Lucy was correct, when they arrived at Natsu's house.

"Alright, now let's get everything moved in," Natsu said, as he kicked open the door. Lucy stuck her head, as she looked around. Looking over Natsu's house, she was immediately starting to regret choosing to live with him. To call it messy would be call to Natsu's dragon fire "kinda warm".

"This house needs more than a woman's touch," Lucy said, as she cracked her knuckles.

**(two months later)**

Overtime, one person overheard someone from Fairy Tail commenting about Lucy, and another person heard it from them, and so on. Word was beginning to spread that Salamander of Fairy Tail not only had a a girlfriend, but that girlfriend had a son. Once Sorcerer Weekly got wind of it, the next issue had it as its front page.

**(in a dark lair)**

A purple haired man wearing a black coat walked down through a dark tunnel, before getting out into a more open area, with a circular opening on the cave's ceiling, where a beam of light shone through. In the light, was a throne, with its back to the hall. The throne was on stone pedestal, and surrounding the pedestal was a large, bright green lawn, that seemed peaceful, as for the hordes of snakes slithering through the blades. The man fell to one knee before the throne, just outside of the grass.

"My Lord, you summoned me?" he asked.

"That question implies that there should be another reason for you to enter my presence," a voice from the throne answered, "Are the rumors true?"

"It appears so."

"Well then," the voice said, "I'll confess I wasn't entirely sure this would happen. It seemed almost too good to be true."

"Shall we take action?"

"Not yet. We have to be sure the process will work." As the voice talked, a snake slithered up to the throne. A hand then held out, and the snake slithered onto it.

"How would you have me do that? Shall I get one of the lackeys to take it?"

"No, we need to test it on a person with an already great reserve of magic energy. Try it out on one of their guild mate. I'd certainly be intrigued to see that."

"Any particular target?"

"No, but preferably one of their more powerful ones. Also, acquire the target now. If we try do it after we curse the experimental subject, our chances will be diminished more significantly."

"I will see to it, my Lord."

"Good, now take your leave," the voice said, as the hand stroked the snake. The man left down the way he came. The hand scratched the snake under the neck.

"The era of the Oracion Seis is ended, and with it the era of dark guilds will also come to an end," the voice said, as he waved his hand, and the snake abruptly froze solid, "The era of dark lords is upon us."

**(at Fairy Tail)**

_Its been two months since I moved in with Natsu_ Lucy wrote _And two months since I find out I was pregnant with Natsu's child. I'll tell you, Mom, I don't know how you went through all this with me. Morning sickness is a pain, and according to Natsu, I'm REALLY susceptible to mood swings. I'm already looking forward to teaching my kid all about Celestial Spirits, and Natsu's really excited to teach him or her about dragons._ Lucy stretched, as she looked over what was now both her and Natsu's house. After Lucy had moved in, she quickly cleaned the place up, to make it more friendly for her, and her child.

They were also planning on adding onto the house. Seeing as the amount of residents was about to double, they needed more room. With the help of the guild, they were adding a second floor, and an extension to the back, with a nursery. One thing Lucy was happy about, was not doing rent, since Natsu owned this house, and property, a portion of Lucy's reward didn't have to go towards rent. And good thing too, because if she still had to worry about money like that, then Lucy would have to deal with her father.

Lucy still hadn't told him about her pregnancy, though considering how fast word seemed to travel, he may have already known. If he did, then he didn't tell her about it. Maybe Jude did know, but Lucy didn't expect him to start contacting her about it.

"Lucy," Natsu, said as he came up, and wrapped his arms around Lucy's shoulders, "We need to head to the guild!"

"Alright," Lucy said, as she got up, "I just finished anyway." The two then headed up, as Happy floated after them.

**(with Erza)**

Erza hummed a tone to herself, as she stared out the train window. She was coming home from a solo job. The job was uneventful, and all around pretty boring. One thing Erza liked about Fairy Tail, was something was always happening.

As the train roamed down the tracks, Erza could hear the sound of the train steward coming down the car. Hopefully he had some cake.

"Can I offer you anything, ma'am?" the steward asked he came up with his trolley.

"Do you have any cake?" Erza asked.

"Anything in particular?"

"Strawberry chesescake. If you've got any other kind, then I won't have it." Erza was one of the people "enlightened" to the greatness of cake, and was not going to settle for anything less.

"I suppose," the steward said, as he pulled out some cake.

"Thank you," Erza said, as she took it.

"And here's something complimentary," the steward said, holding out a red bottle, "Every passenger gets one."

"Oh, thank you," Erza said as she took it. As the steward went down the hall, Erza studied the liquid, before shrugging. She wasn't particularly thirsty, and figured she'd save it for later.

**(at Fairy Tail)**

"Looking for a job?" Lucy asked, as she came up next to Wendy, who was standing by the quest board.

"Yeah," Wendy answered, "I'd like to go on a quest with Natsu." Wendy had managed to establish herself in the guild quite well since joining. She was also getting very close to Natsu. She now fully identified as his little sister, and would often refer to Natsu as "big brother". The two always sat close to each other, and Wendy regularly tagged along with Natsu wherever they want. And aside from Lucy, she was the person Natsu was the most protective of; actually, it could be argued that Natsu was just as protective to his sister as he was to his girlfriend.

"I'd love to go with you, but Natsu won't let me go on any real jobs while I'm pregnant," Lucy explained.

"That makes sense knowing Natsu," Erza said, as she walked up.

"Ah, welcome back," Lucy said, "How'd the quest go?"

"The same as it always seems to go," Erza said, "Another run of the mill monster, a troll in this case. I tracked it, found it, slew it, got paid, and got home. That's it."

"Easy pickings for a girl like you," Lucy said.

"I got this on the train," Erza said, holding up the bottle, "Seems like it might be good to drink."

"Are you sure its safe to drink?" Kinana asked, as she came up, holding a tray. Speaking of new members, Kinana was also having an easy time getting into Fairy Tail. She didn't have much talent in the way of magic, getting a job as a waitress. However, she was pressuring Mirajane to teach her transformation magic. That made Lucy nervous; it was almost as if Kinana was subconsciously trying to turn back into a snake.

"I'm sure its fine," Erza said, "It doesn't look like a poison."

"Yo! Wendy!" Natsu called, "Have you found a job yet?"

"I did," Wendy answered, holding up a request. It was an easy one, consisting of handling a couple of thugs who were bullying the townsfolk.

"Maybe I can actually join you on this one?" Lucy asked, "Its getting boring just sitting in the guild hall."

"No way!" Natsu answered, "You'll be in danger!"

"Please!" Lucy begged.

"No!"

"Let her join," Erza said, giving Natsu one of her "death glares". Natsu recoiled in fear at that, but still was resistant.

"Come on, its not as if I'll be alone, you'll be with me, and so will Wendy," Lucy said. Natsu cringed, before sighing.

"Fine."

"Great!" Lucy said, "Let me run home and get my whip! Then we can go!" She then ran out of the guild hall.

"You can't be so protective of her," Erza said, as she took a glass from Kinana, and pouring her drink into the glass, "Its doing her a disservice."

"But she's pregnant," Natsu said.

"She's only two months, and she's not even showing yet," Erza said.

"I hope someday my own prince will come back to me!" Kinana said, "Just as he promised!" Her eyes sparkled at that notion.

"It takes more than that to find love," Erza said, as she took a sip, "You have to take initiative."

"You see Carla?" Happy said, as he came up to his fellow cat, who had been standing next to Wendy, "Now let's go have some fish."

"I'd protest, but it would just go into that abyss you call a brain," Carla said, turning her nose up at Happy.

"Be nice, Carla," Wendy said.

"Yes," Erza agreed, "Here at Fair…." She suddenly doubled over, grabbing her stomach.

"Erza!" Wendy said, as she come over, "Do you need my help?"

"I…," Erza began, before letting out a scream, as her body glowed, attracting everyone's attention.

"Erza!" Mirajane cried, as everyone gathered around the S-Class mage.

"What's going on with her?" Elfman said. His question was answered, as Erza began to change. Light fur began to cover her body, as her hands turned into paws, her teeth into fangs, and her ears into cat ears. She fell to all fours, as her head changed, and a tail came out of her back. In no time, Erza had completely transformed, as her armor fell apart around her.

"She turned into a cat!" Happy said.

"She's a lioness!" Carla corrected.

"Erza…," Makarov said as he tried to approach. However, the lioness that was once Erza let out a razor, before her body began to glow again. She shrank, as her body collapsed into a thinner form. Her front paws reached out, as her claws lengthened. Her skin turned to some kind of metal. Soon, in her place, was a long pole arm, shaped like a lion, with two paws outstretched, baring its claws.

Everyone stared in shock. Erza, their pride and joy, had just turned into a halberd.

**Note: I imagine most people recognize what this means. Seems like a familiar enemy has reared his head. And Lucy may be in trouble as well.**

**This is the beginning of an original arc, but I don't know how long it will end up being.**

**Be sure to review.**

**I'm sorry to do this, but it had to be said. I just ran into the MOST butthurt Gray fangirl I've ever seen, who insulted another person's art just because it featured Natsu in it. Hell, one of her favorites was a rant saying how Natsu was absolutely awful, and people are idiots for liking him. I for one, love Natsu, he's my favorite character, with Lucy being number two, and several people being number three (Erza's among them). Of course I love all the FT characters, so….**


	35. The Burning Chill

_**The Burning Chill**_

Things were completely silent, as everyone stared at the staff, that was once Erza Scarlet. Finally, Happy said something.

"Erza turned into a stick!" he asked. Everyone then started screaming over each other.

"What are we going to do now that our strongest member was turned into a stick?" Macao asked.

"That's the important thing?" Gray said, "Not that Erza's now an inanimate object?"

"Technically she's a staff, not a stick," Warren commented.

"I can't beat Erza like this!" Natsu said, "There's nothing fun about fighting a stick!"

"Enough!" Makarov yelled. Everyone was silenced immediately, as the Master came up, as he looked down over Erza.

"What happened to her?" Mirajane asked.

"I'll be honest, I have no idea what just happened," Makarov answered, "I've never seen this kind of magic before. But for now, nobody…." Natsu rather suddenly picked Erza up, looking over her.

"Natsu!"

"She looks kind of cool though," Natsu said, "And I bet…." He was silenced when a sword appeared, and held to his neck. Natsu, on rifle, dropped Erza, as she clattered to the ground.

"Was that…," he asked.

"Erza?" Mirajane asked. Makarov bent down, and picked her up.

"Erza, can you hear us?" he asked. The eyes of the staff glowed again.

"So she's still in there?" Elfman asked, "She's a real man!"

"Can you blink once for 'yes', and twice for 'no'?" Cana asked. Erza's eyes flashed once.

"Alright, at least now we can communicate," Makarov said, "Now we need to figure out how all of this happened."

"I'm going to go find Lucy and show her this!" Natsu said, as he ran out of the door to go find his pregnant girlfriend.

"Can you heal her Wendy?" Natsu asked.

"She can heal injuries, not curses," Carla answered.

"Should someone go get Porlyusica?" Levy asked.

"I've got an idea!" Happy said, as he flew to the closet, and pulled Klodoa out.

"The hell's going on, you stupid cat!" the staff demanded as Happy carried him out.

"Why are you bringing that guy out?" Natsu asked.

"Well, he's a stick like Erza," Happy said, "I figured he might know some stuff."

"First, I'm a staff, not a stick," Klodoa responded, "And second, its not like we have some kind secret code between us." He then looked at Erza.

"Oh, this sure sucks for you," he said.

"What do you mean?" Wendy asked.

"Hate to break it to you, but this girl has been cursed by a Furari Potentia," Klodoa said.

"Uh what now?" Kinana asked.

"Its a spell that allows someone to steal a person's magic power by turning the person in question into some kind of item, a pole arm apparently in this case," Klodoa explained.

"So how do we reverse it?" Levy asked.

"You can't," Klodoa answered, "Now that she's been transformed, she's at the complete beck and call of the person who concocted the potion. The only way to undo the effects, is for the caster to either to do it themselves. The alternative is of course killing the caster."

"How do you know about all of this?" Cana asked.

"What, you think I was always like this?" Klodoa asked, "I used to be a man until Brain turned me into this."

"You used to be a man?" Wendy asked.

"No I used to be a frog."

"Wow, you're a talking frog?" Happy asked.

"I was being sarcastic you stupid cat!" Klodoa snapped.

"What, if the same thing that happened to Erza happened to you, why can you talk?" Elfman demanded.

"Brain gave me the ability to speak," Klodoa answered.

"Well, we need to start investigating," Makarov said, "Let's retrace Erza's steps and see…"

"LUCY'S GONE!" Everyone turned to see a panicked Natsu standing in the doorway.

"What are you talking about?" Macao asked.

"I'VELOOKEDALLOVERTHETOWNANDICOULDN'TFINDLUCYANYWEHRE!" Natsu cried. He was silenced when he was slapped across the face by Makarov.

"Calm down boy!" Makarov said, "Now slow down and tell us what happened."

"I was going to look for Lucy, to show her what happened with Erza, but I couldn't find her!" Natsu explained, "I checked everywhere! Our house, the park, the salon! The church! Everywhere! Lucy's disappeared!" Everyone began muttering about the girl's disappearance.

"Calm down everyone," Makarov said, "We'll figure this out."

"Do you think that this might have something to do with Erza turning into a staff?" Kinana asked.

"More than likely," Makarov said.

"Do you know anything?" Happy asked Klodoa.

"Yes," Klodoa said, before cackling, "But I won't tell you!" He was then grabbed by Natsu, whose chest was glowing.

"Tell me," he ordered, "Or you'll be lucky if there's still ash after all."

"You won't kill me!" Klodoa said, as he began to shake slightly, "You… you need me!"

"Try me." Natsu's body then began to steam, as his eye slowed. Finally, Klodoa gave in.

"Alright!" he said, "I have a theory, but there's a chance it might not be true!"

"Its better than nothing," Gray said.

"There's a dark lord by the name of Frieze, though lots of people probably know him as the 'Burning Chill'," Klodoa said, "He's a thrall of Grimoire Heart, but maybe after the fall of the Oracion Seis, he wants to establish himself as their replacement. If I remember correctly, he was always rather obsessed by the Furari Potentia. He may have been the one to give it to the red head. I don't know if he had anything to do with the blonde's disappearance though. And before you ask, yes, I know where his lair is."

"Well, its a start," Cana said.

"Alright! Where is it?!" Natsu demanded.

**(with Lucy)**

Lucy stirred, as she opened her eyes. Instinctively, her hands went to her stomach, where her baby was. After feeling nothing out of the ordinary, she let out a sigh of relief. Lucy then looked around, noticing she was sitting in one kid of otherwise dark prison cell, but was offset by the queen-sized, bright pink bed she was lying. The last thing she remembered was running home to get her things, when something hit her, and she blacked out.

"Took you long enough." Lucy looked around, and saw a woman with short green hair sitting in the corner, staring at her.

"Were you watching me while I sleep?" Lucy asked, "That's creepy! And what the hell am I doing here?! Where am I!"

"You are in my master's lair," the woman answered, "And now that you're awake, my master will see you now."

"Yeah, and I'll certainly go with you for this," Lucy said sarcastically, "Have a taste of…." She then felt around her person.

"Oh yeah, we took your keys," the woman said, as she stood up, "Now come along quietly, before I decide to forcefully drag you there."

"Screw you!" Lucy said.

"Alright then, I guess you'll be coming by force then," the woman said. Lucy was abruptly knocked in the back of the head by some force, knocking her out again.

When she came to, she was sitting on a stone pedestal. Looking around, Lucy saw what would've been a beautiful green lawn surrounding the pedestal, if not for the snakes slithering around. They were primarily red, save for strange red markings around their eyes.

"I know what you're thinking." Lucy turned, to see a man sitting a throne, which she was at the foot of. The man was tall, with sharp features. He had short, slicked hair, that was split down the middle. The right was bright red, the left was dark blue. His eyes were also different colors, the left also being dark blue, and the right also being red. On his left ear was an earring that resembled a snowflake, and on his right, was one that resembled a flame. He wore some kind fight armor, that was split down the middle between black and white.

"Those are blood snakes," the man explained, "One drop of venom is powerful enough to kill a whole battalion of men."

"Who are you?!"

"My apologies, I was rude," the man said, as he cleared his throat, and stood up, "My name is Frieze." Lucy paused, she felt like she heard that name before.

"Aren't you one of those dark lords, or whatever?" she asked.

"You've actually done research, eh? Good, I don't have to explain as much to you," Frieze said, "And the answer is yes. I'm a dark lord, in control of a total of ten dark guilds. But I imagine that number climbing in due time." Lucy put an instinctive hand on her stomach.

"What do you want with me?" she demanded.

"Not a thing."

"Yeah, that's completely believable," Lucy said, glaring harder, "Again, what do you want from me?"

"And again, not a thing," Frieze answered, "_You_ have nothing I want."

"Then why did you kidnap me?" Lucy demanded, "Once my guild finds out about this, there's going to be hell to pay. And when my boyfriend gets here. Oh, you better hope he's not the first to find you!" Frieze didn't seem that intimidated, instead, he just grinned darkly. It was a grin Lucy didn't like.

"My utmost congratulations with your coming child," he said. Lucy paled, as it dawned on her.

"Wait," she muttered, "You don't mean…"

"The children of mages generally aren't born with the particular skill of their parents," Frieze explained, as he held up two fingers, "But there are two exceptions to that rule. Those two exceptions are Dragon Slayers, and Celestial Spirit Wielders. Both of those magics are very internal, going down to the very core of one's body; its a part of your entire being. A child born to one of them is likely going to possess a greater potential for such a magic. But the child of both type, will be a forced to be reckoned with upon its reach to adulthood." Lucy tried to back up, but then remembered the blood snakes. She covered her stomach.

"So that's why you want my baby?" she asked, "You want to use him."

"Yes, but probably in a more literal sense than you think."

"What do you mean?"

"Ever hear of the Furari Potentia? A concoction that turns people into magic tools?" Frieze inquired. The answer was "no", but Lucy was too terrified of the prospect to care.

"Once your child is born, I will have it ingest the potion," the dark lord further explained, "It will turn into my newest tool. And all the power that dwells within that child will belong to me."

"No way in hell!" Lucy said, as she tried to get on her feet, on for Frieze to snap his fingers. Several large spears of ice appeared at Lucy's throat.

"Well, I'm afraid you're not going to have much choice in the matter," he explained, "I'll be taking that baby one way or another."

"Newsflash, buddy," Lucy said, "I'm only two months pregnant. Hell, I'm not even showing yet! You're kinda early!"

"That's not an issue," Frieze said.

"What do you mean…," Lucy began before pausing, "Wait you meant to tell me…."

"Magic truly is spectacular," Frieze said, grinning, "Some spells can bring people back from oblivion, others allow people to summon immortal beings from a realm of stars, and there are even spells that allow someone to accelerate the pregnancy of a woman. Relax, this spell has been used before, it won't affect your baby. What it will do, is make your body go through the remaining six months of pregnancy. Think of it as being a void where time passes faster." Frieze jumped to the long, as the snakes around him seemed to spontaneously combust, as the walked down the lawn, and out of the circle. He then snapped his fingers again. Several men approached the pedestal, forming a circle around the lawn. They then held up their hands, and began to murmur some form of chant.

Lucy suddenly began to feel herself hovering up. She looked towards the ceiling, noticing the opening in the sky. But circling around the opening, were six statues of woman, with glowing orbs on their stomachs, their hands outreached. Upon looking closer, Lucy saw that all the statues seemed to be made out of lacrima.

"Let the ritual begin," Frieze said. The statues hands then glowed, as magic energy came out of their palms, and encompassed Lucy. Suddenly, it as if someone had simply turned her off, as she closed her eyes and fell into a deep trance.

"How long will this take?" Frieze asked. One of the performers, who was rather short and hunched over, looked up.

"From this point, till birth? Half a day at the least."

"You may not have that time, Agora," Frieze explained, "Do it faster."

"That might not be possible, my Lord," Agora answered.

"Then make it a possibility," Frieze responded, as he strolled down the cavern hall, folding his arms behind his back.

During this, Lucy remained her trance, as the magic swallow her body. _Save us… Natsu…_

**Note: Keep something in mind. That being that I don't foresee this arc being particularly long. I heard people say that a child of mages shouldn't be necessarily born with the magic of the parents. But I think it makes for a more interesting story if they at least have the basics. I tried to give an explanation for it.**

**Let me also say that Frieze is one of my favorite OCs. However, he's not the same character as the one for EOTBD, with reasons that will be explained as things progress. One example, is that he's not Ul's brother in this version, and reviving her is obviously not his goal. Likewise, this version of Agora isn't interested in betraying Frieze.**


	36. Steaming Snow

_**Steaming Snow**_

Not that far south from Magnolia, are the Mountains of Shade. So called because they are placed in such a fashion hat it causes an eerie shade to fall over the people to pass through them. That said, passing through the mountains is no easy task. There are only a few roads that pass through the winding peaks, and its rocky terrain makes it rather unpleasant to climb. All in all, a great place for a bad guy to make his evil lair.

Under Klodoa's instruction, a group was heading to Frieze's lair. Many volunteered for the group with the hopes of saving Lucy and turning Erza back to normal. The group, in all, consisted of Natsu (of course), Happy, Gray, Juvia, Wendy, Carla, Levy, Elfman, and Cana. The still transformed Erza was being carried by Happy. The group was wandering through the mountains, following the cues Klodoa had given them.

"Maybe we should've brought that skull with us," Wendy said, "He could've guided as."

"He also would've been screaming non-stop," Gray said, "He would've been more of a burden than anything else." Cana looked at a card.

"Got anything from your cards?" Levy asked.

"Nothing new."

"Well, according to the stick, we got to keep going through the mountain trails, until we reach a cave with steaming snow around its entrance," Wendy said.

"'Steaming snow'?" Elfman asked, "How does that make any sense?"

"Well Frieze is known as the 'Burning Chill'," Juvia said, "Maybe he's got some level of control of hot and cold."

"Well, it still won't be easy to find," Gray said, "Its like looking in a haystack for a needle that shouldn't really exist."

"I'll smell Lucy out!" Everyone looked up. Natsu was standing up on a rock, looking around. They could almost see the heat radiating off him.

"I don't care how long it takes, I'll rescue her, and my baby!" Natsu said firmly, before jumping off, and continuing to run.

"Wow, its as if he forgot all about Erza," Happy said. Erza's eyes flashed briefly.

"He's a real man!" Elfman said.

"I'm sure he means nothing by it," Wendy said, "I mean, Lucy was kidnapped, while she was pregnant. Natsu has two members of his family who are in direct risk." Erza's eyes flashed again.

"If only you could talk."

"Well, nothing to do but keep an eye out for a cave with snow outside it," Gray said, "We should split up, that way we can cover more ground."

"My beloved is so smart!" Juvia said.

"Why is she even hear?" Carla asked.

"I think she's hear just because of Gray," Happy said. Erza's eyes flashed in agreement.

"Natsu'll take the North," Gray said, "Juvia and I will take the East, Elfman and Cana will take the West, Levy and Wendy and the cats will take the South." Everyone one agreed, and they all went out looking.

The group walked four a couple hours, but with no success. Natsu and Wendy were also unable to get any trace on Lucy's scent. Happy and Carla even tried to flying up to get a good look at the area around them.

"Do you see anything?" Happy asked.

"Can't say I do."

"What about you, Erza?" Happy asked, looking down.

"She's a staff, I don't think she'll be of much aide," Carla said. Erza's eyes flashed twice for "no", before glaring at Carla. Meanwhile, Levy and Wendy were down on the ground.

"I really hope Lucy's safe," Wendy said, "This Frieze guy sounds pretty bad."

"I'm worried about her baby too," Levy said, "Its probably not a coincidence that Lucy is kidnapped after word really gets out that she's pregnant." As the girls talked, something they failed to take notice of was the bird peached on a nearby rock. It looked ordinary enough, but if you liked closer, you'd notice its third, glowing red eye. It was a Deite Pouli, artificial creatures used to spy on people.

**(in Frieze's lair)**

"So, the girl's comrades came to find her?" Frieze muttered, as he watched from a visual lacrima. A couple people were behind him.

"They are simply average mages," the woman with green hair said, "What should we fear from them?" Frieze laughed.

"Come now Netja, you mean to say you've already forgotten that they are the ones who defeated the Oracion Seis?" he asked, "If we underestimate them, we will be dooming ourselves."

"Then what should we do?" the man with purple hair asked.

"Be patient Trak. There is no guarantee that they will find us, but assuming they do, we will be ready. That boy's magic will be completely ineffective against mine, and you and the others do not need to defeat them, you need only stall them. Agora said the ritual will be complete in another couple hours."

"That is still a couple hours my lord," Trak said.

"Then you better not lose," Frieze said as he rose to his feet, "I fortunately had the foresight to call for some mercenaries to assist us in our battle. They are known as the Tri-Blades."

"I've heard of them," Netja said, "I heard they are quite capable."

"I suppose we'll find out soon enough, will we not?" Frieze inquired, "Our foes will probably be upon us soon enough."

**(with the group)**

"We're not making any progress," Cana said, "We need to stop and think about what to do."

"But what else is there to do?" Levy said, "All we know is what the cave looks like, and we can't find it anywhere."

"Real man don't think!" Elfman said, "We should go look up each mountain if we have to!"

"At the rate we're going Natsu's going to go crazy," Happy said.

Natsu was becoming so desperate, he was tempted to use Dragon's Eye, and burn the entire mountain range to the ground. He climbed onto a ledge, and looked over the area. However, no sign of anything. Natsu began to shake, before looking to the sky.

"LUCY!" he roared, as he let out a burst of fire.

**(in the lair)**

"What's with that?" one ritualist asked.

"Nothing, that's what," another answered, "Keep going."

Lucy continued to float in the air, as the ritual was performed. Her stomach was now visibly swelling. As she lay in her trance, she let out a slight breath.

_Nat…su…_

**(with Natsu)**

Natsu froze, as he looked to the south.

"I can hear her," he muttered, before jumping off the cliff to the ground, and running down the path "Lucy!" Everyone saw Natsu running.

"Should we follow him?" Juvia asked.

"Natsu's instincts are rarely wrong," Gray answered, "And I guess he would know better than anyone how to find his girlfriend."

"Would you be able to find me?" Juvia asked. Gray kept that he probably _would_ be able to find her to himself.

"Well, if anyone can track Lucy, its him," Cana said. Erza's eyes glowed again, voicing her "yes".

"Aye! Let's go!" Happy said, as he swooped after Natsu.

The group followed Natsu, until he eventually lead them to a cave with snow littered around it. But when they looked again, they realized that the a very fine steam was rising out of the snow.

"Steaming snow?" Cana said, "Well, here I thought that being in Fairy Tail would completely desensitize me to any form of surprise."

"Lucy!" Natsu roared, as he charged into the cave.

"Natsu, wait!" Happy called, as he flew after him.

"Happy!" Wendy cried.

"That stupid tomcat!" Carla said.

**(in the lair)**

Natsu ran through the hall, as he came into what looked like some kind of large communal area, kind of the one in Fairy Tail, but it was a lot more unpleasant, and it was empty. Save for one man.

"Welcome, Mr. Dragneel," Frieze said, as he looked at Natsu, his feet propped on the rock, "My congratulations on your future child." Natsu didn't answer, he just sprung at Frieze, his chest glowing.

"You will burn!" he roared. He then breathed out a massive cloud of fire. Frieze held up his hand, as the fire abruptly seemed to vanish.

"Damn, you'd think someone kidnapped your pregnant girlfriend," the lord sneered.

"Where's Lucy!" Natsu said, as he punched at Frieze again, only for his fist to be caught, when the fire was extinguished again.

"You really think I'm going to tell you that?" Frieze inquired. The fist that he had caught then began to ice over slightly. Natsu let out a cry, as he jumped back, as he looked his ice covered hand.

"Damn you!" Natsu roared, as he inhaled, his chest glowing, as he breathed out a massive torrent of fire. Frieze held up the same hand, as the fires were promptly extinguished again.

"You don't learn you," Frieze said. Natsu didn't let up, as he continued breathing fire. The dark lord smiled darkly.

"This is going to be enjoyable, I already know it," Frieze said. As he held up his free hand, and blue orb appeared on it. He then thrust it at Natsu, who was blasted back.

"That was cold!" Natsu said. He really felt genuinely cold, and yet it felt like someone had just poured freezing water all over him (though he confessed he didn't really know what it felt like).

"You can't beat me, boy," Frieze said as he rose to his feet, as he held up his finger, and spun it slightly. A swirl of blue energy appeared around his finger, before he flicked it in Natsu's direction.

"Fire Dragon's Wing Clap!" Natsu said, as he clapped his hands together. A wave of fire came from the clap, but when it collided with Frieze's disk, the fire vanished. Natsu jumped out of the disk's way, as it collided with the wall. The wall promptly froze.

"You use the same kind of magic as Gray?" Natsu asked.

"Hardly," Frieze answered, "He would be just as ineffective as you are in this battle, if not more so." He then cleared his throat.

"I'd love to continue to entertain you," he said, "But I've got more important things to do than have a little play fight. I've got power to achieve."

"You bastard!" Natsu roared, as he launched at Frieze again. However, with a flick up the lord's wrist, Natsu was completely frozen. Frieze dusted himself off.

"Damn, more ash on my armor," he muttered, "And I just cleaned it after all." He then looked at Natsu, folding this arms.

"That won't kill you. If it could, then Brain would've killed you without question, and Zero would've definitely killed you as well" Frieze said, "But it will keep you out of the game for a while. Just long enough. I want to kill you with the power of your child." He then heard people coming down the hall.

"Can't expend time with them," he said, before looking up, "Zephyr, if you would be so kind?" Frieze then seemed to collapse into himself, as he vanished into what looked like thin air.

"Natsu!" Happy said, as he flew into the chamber, quickly followed by the others.

"What happened to him?" Levy asked, "There's no way he can be frozen!"

"Whoever did this must have been seriously manly," Elfman said, "To ice over our fire dragon."

"Should I try to heal him?" Wendy asked.

"I don't think you actually need to," Happy said, as he hovered in front of Natsu. He was beginning to steam slightly. The ice was starting to melt again.

"His dragon fire will melt the ice, right Erza?" Happy asked. Erza's eyes flashed once.

"We should go looking for Lucy," Carla said, "Now…."

"People should think about what they are going do _before_ they enter another's home." Everyone looked up, as they saw a man with neatly combed black hair, cleanly shaven, and a black formal suit.

"Who are you!" Elfman demanded.

"Where are my manners?" the man said, "My name is Zephyr. I'm one of the Tri-Blades."

"Ti-Blades?" Cana asked.

"You heard of them?" Levy asked.

"Their mercenaries," Cana answered, "Don't know much more than that, but if they can heard of, then they probably have to be some people of status."

"I'd give you an explanation as my exploits with my comrades, but I don't want to bore you," Zephyr explained, "Besides, what kind of host would I be if I didn't give you a proper tour of my home."

"Give back Lucy, you bastard!" Cana said, as she threw several cards at Zephyr, only for the mercenary to flick his wrist, and for the cards to vanish into thin air.

"Wha…" Cana was silenced when she seemed to vanish as we'll.

"Cana!" Levy cried. She then vanished as well.

"What are you doing?" Gray yelled.

"I'm not stupid, I know when not to pursue a fight I can't win," Zephyr said, "Lord Frieze may be able to defeat you, but I'm not on par with him. So I think it is more prudent to, as they say, 'divide and conquer'."

"Ice Make: Lan…." Gray vanished as well.

"My beloved!" Juvia cried, as she jumped in his direction, only to vanish as well.

"Wendy!" Carla cried, as she flew to Wendy.

"Carla!" Happy, still holding Erza, yelled, as he jumped at Carla. When Zephyr turned to them, all three vanished at once. That only left Elfman.

"You're probably the weakest one here," Zephyr said, "I'll defeat you relatively easily."

"I'm a real man!" Elfman said, as he held up his arm, which turned into iron, "I won't lose to a punk like you!"

"You might not have a chance," Zephyr said, "_boy_!"

**Note: I put so many people with the group, because I wanted more girls to really bond with Lucy on screen. I really like the "godmother arguments", but felt they wouldn't be justified without my development like this.**

**Something I again have to stress, is that this version of Frieze is not the same as EOTBD. That was one was Gray's enemy, this one is more Natsu's enemy.**

**Be sure to review.**

**I recently saw a Youtube channel that actually really offended me. Maybe you've heard of him, the guy's name is "LewiSenpai". I say that, because he said that nobody with intelligence with like Fairy Tail. So basically you're an idiot if you like Fairy Tail? The comments were much better though, with everything from haters to troll (the two aren't the same) is insulting both FT, and its fans. Now I know you'll all say "fuck the haters", but that's not as easy for me to do. If you've looked at my profile, you know I have an inferiority complex, and don't have that much int he way self confidence. I don't know, I guess it sometimes helps to know that haters are probably the minority.**


	37. Scattered Fairies

_**The Scattered Faries**_

"I'm not a boy! I am a man!" Elfman roared, as he jumped at Zephyr, punching at him in the gut. **(props to those who get that reference)**

"That is not going to work," Zephyr said calmly as the fist connected. Elfman let out a grunt of pain, as he a massive amount of force struck him in the side, sending him careening away. Zephyr calmly walked over in his direction, as he dusted off his suit.

"Please refrain from dirtying the suit," he said, "Its quite expensive."

"Screw you! A real man doesn't focus so much on his outfit!" Elfman said, "Beast Arm: Stone Bull!" He punched at Zephyr again, only for the mercenary to vanish.

"Too slow, boy," he sneered, as he held up his hands, "Spatial Inferno!" Two glowing circles appeared around Elfman, before massive bursts of fire exploded out of them, blasting Elfman away. The Fairy Tail mage panted, as he got up weakly. He glanced over at the still frozen Natsu. He was trying to avoid fighting around him, since he knew that there was a chance Natsu could get shattered in his current state.

"Damn, what kind of magic is this?" he muttered.

"Space Magic, is it not obvious?" Zephyr answered, as he held up his hand, "I can transport anything I want, anywhere I want."

"It doesn't matter where you'll go, I'll get you!" Elfman declared, as he punched at Zephyr again. The space mage didn't dodge this time, as Elfman punched him in the face. However, the force struck Elfman in the stomach instead.

"Brute force is one of the absolute worse ways to fight me," Zephyr explained. He then held out a hand, summoning a rock into it. He then slammed the rock into his hand. Elfman let out a grunt as he felt a strike hit the side of his head.

"How are you doing that?" Elfman said as he stumbled slightly.

"Whenever you strike a person you inflict force, even a brute like you should know that," Zephyr explained, "All I'm doing is transferring said force onto you instead of me."

"That's fighting dirty!"

"Actually, its fighting efficiently. People who fight fairly are fools."

"A real man fights with his own power, not the power of others!" Elfman said, as he rose to his feet, as he entered full Beast Soul. He then punched down at Zephyr, who warped away. The Fairy Tail goer whirled around, to punch at Zephyr again.

"It won't work," Zephyr said, as he flicked his wrist. Portal appeared where Elfman's fist was, only to appear beside his head, sending his first into his face.

"Spatial Flood!" Two portals opened, spilling out massive torrents of water around Elfman, which disoriented him. In that moment of disorientation, Zephyr pulled a stiletto from his pocket, and jammed it into another portal. Elfman let out a pained roar, as he was stuck in the back of the leg.

"There are so many ways I could kill you," Zephyr explained from his new position on a rock, "I could teleport a piece of your body away, open a portal to a volcano and swallow your body in lava, or teleport several massive rocks over you. But that would be boring. If possible, I like to grant my opponents some proper entertainment if I can, since I'm a gentleman." He then cracked his neck.

"But I don't consider you a true enemy," he said, "You're more along the lines of a minor inconvenience. So maybe it would be more prudent to end you here and now. Sound good?" Elfman roared as he sprung at him, only for Zephyr to hold out his hand. Another portal appeared, as a massive burst of water exploded out. It struck Elfman head on, who managed to push through it. To counter, Zephyr released more blasts of water from another two portals, but even then, Elfman pushed through.

"I will save Lucy! And her kid!" Elfman roared. Zephyr cringed, as Elfman held up his fist, and had to jump out of the way. Elfman panted as he looked over, to see Zephyr standing there, glaring. He grinned.

"I think I just found out your weakness," Elfman said, "You can't open more than three portals at any given time. If you could, you would have turned that force on me again." Zephyr scowled.

"That's it, I'm ending this!" Zephyr said, as he held up his hands, only for Elfman to be atop of him. He wasn't in Beast Soul anymore. Elfman grabbed Zephyr by the shoulder, and slammed his fist into the Space Mage's mug. Zephyr let out a grunt of pain, as he was almost knocked back, but Elfman held onto him.

"Another weakness," Elfman said, "You can't transport things that aren't in direct contact you. I noticed that the knife you stabbed with me went into one of your portals. You weren't transferring the force, you were transferring my fists!" Before Zephyr could respond, he was punched in the face again, and again, and again.

Finally, Elfman let Zephyr go, as the Space Mage fell to the ground, his face bruised and swollen.

"Damn," Elfman said, "I should've made you tell me where the others are first."

**(with Frieze)**

Frieze liked to keep track of his lackeys, particularly the more powerful ones, such as the Tri-Blades. To that end, he used a form of Link magic, which let him keep track of his followers on a magical map. He tapped his finger on his arm as he noticed Zephyr disappear, indicated he had been defeated.

The dark lord looked over at Lucy, who was now visibly showing. It would still be a few hours before the ritual would be complete, and the child would be born. All that needed to be done was for the Fairy Tail mages to be stalled. The Tri-Blades were supposed to be some of the stronger mercenary groups in the kingdom, though Frieze was intelligent enough to take that with a few grains of salt. Fairy Tail mages were also quite ample in a fight, and chances were they could be more than a match for Frieze's warriors.

As for Frieze himself, he was far stronger than any of them, and everyone new it. There was a point where he fought on par with Brain of Oracion Seis, losing mostly because of Brain's strategizing.

"How much longer will this take?"

"A couple hours, my lord," one of the practitioners answered.

"Make it less," Frieze said. The practitioner opened his mouth, but upon seeing his lord's glare, he remained silent.

"That's what I thought."

**(with Wendy)**

Wendy looked around. She was in some kind of hallway, probably some where random in the lair.

"What's the plan?" Happy asked.

"I don't see how we have any other option but to go straight," Carla said.

"She's right," Wendy said, "We need to keep going if we want to save Lucy."

"Do you agree, Erza?" Happy asked the staff. Erza flashed for "yes". The group then started to walk down the hall.

"I was wondering," Happy said, "Erza's now a magic staff, right?"

"Don't state the obvious," Carla said.

"Well, maybe someone can use her to fight?" Happy suggested. Erza flashed "no" without missing a beat.

"Well, its not too bad idea," Wendy said, "I mean, you're really strong when normal, but imagine how strong you are as a magic tool!" Erza flashed "no" again.

"This is probably damaging to her pride," Carla said, "If I was suddenly turned into an item, I would be rather embarrassed myself."

"I'd imagine as much." The group looked around, but didn't see anybody.

"Imagine what I thought when I saw Titania on the train. I couldn't believe my luck. One of the strongest mages in Fairy Tail with her guard almost completely down."

"Show yourself, coward!" Carla demanded.

"Aye! You aren't afraid of a few cats, are you?" Happy yelled.

"Me, afraid of cats? The notion is too ridiculous to even entertain." Suddenly, standing on a rock, was Trak. Erza's eyes glowed angrily.

"You were the one who cursed Erza?" Wendy asked.

"Well, insofar as me giving her the Furari Potentia was 'cursing' her," Trak answered, "My name is Trak, I'm one of Lord Frieze's lieutenants."

"What's your game!" Happy demanded.

"None of your business, that's what," Trak answered, as he jumped down to their level, "But I'm afraid I can't let you go on."

"I'm going to save Lucy!" Wendy said, as she turned to face Trak.

"I'd say good luck, but you won't need luck when you're going to lose."

**(with Cana)**

"Damn it," Cana muttered as she rubbed the back of her head. She was in a room with a series of interconnected pools, with a waterfall emptying out of the wall into one of them.

"Where's a drink when you need one?"

"Alcoholism is not becoming a lady, especially a mage." Cana then saw a man in an orange robe, with a shaved head, sitting under the waterfall, his eyes closed.

"How did you…," Cana muttered.

"I have my ways," the man answered, as he continued to sit under the waterfall, his eyes still closed, "I presume you are one of the people I was hired to protect this place from?"

"Not entirely accurate," Cana answered, as she drew her cards, "I'm the one here to save Lucy!"

"So that's the girl's name?" the man said as he finally opened his eyes. He then jumped out of the waterfall to face Cana. He was perfectly dry.

"How are you not soaked to the bone?"

"I was bending the water away from me," the man explained, "But that's not important. I'll confess, I don't really approve of Lord Frieze's plan, but it is not my place to ask questions."

"Well that's a bunch of bullshit," Cana grumbled.

"Alcoholic and foul mouthed?" the man asked, "You must do Fairy Tail a true disservice."

"Don't you tell me how to live my life, whoever you are!"

"My name is XingLong," the man said, "I am one of the Tri-Blades."

"I don't give a damn who you are," Cana said, "What I do give a damn about is saving my pregnant friend!"

"I would like to surrender and let you pass, but my honor as a warrior prevents me," XingLong said, as he took a fighting pose.

"That's also a bunch of bullshit."

**(with Levy)**

Levy had no idea what to do. Fighting was, in all honesty, not her strong suit. She was a thinker, not a fighter. True, her Solid Script was pretty good, but in a fight, she may not have the power that some of her guild mates had. It was that reason Levy was seriously starting to consider accepting Gajeel's requests to join Shadow Gear. No disrespect to Jet and Droy, but…. yeah.

"Alright," she muttered, as she pulled out her notebook and pen, "Maybe if I can draw a map…"

"It won't help," a woman's voice called. Levy then looked up, and saw a woman with green hair standing there.

"Who are you?" Levy demanded.

"My name is Netja. I'm the personal aide to Lord Frieze."

"So that means you know where Lucy is!" Levy said.

"Well, I should, I was the one who kidnapped her," Netja answered.

"You kidnapped Lucy!"

"Did I stutter or something?"

"You're real lucky Natsu isn't here," Levy said, "There wouldn't even be ashes left when he was done."

"Well the Salamander isn't here, now is he?" Netja said, "You are." Levy cringed. She doubted her capability to beat this woman, but she knew she didn't have a choice.

"I'm going to save Lucy!" Levy declared.

**(with Juvia)**

Juvia wasn't in a much better place. Aside from the fact that she was away from her beloved Gray, she also had no idea where the heck she was. She had actually been spat in what looked like the sleeping quarters of the lair. There was only way out, so that at least left her with a clear way to go.

The water mage was distracted when she heard what sounded like wings. Juvia looked up, and saw a dark figure circling overhead. Not missing a beat, Juvia held up her finger.

"Water Sniper!" A thin blast of water shot out of the tip, as it jetted at the thing in the sky, which managed to dodge it, before swooping down on her. Juvia melted down to avoid the strike. After reforming, she saw that the thing was a man, a very ugly man, who could only be described as vulture-like. He was bald, save for sparse strands of hair, with a long hooked nose that resembled a beak. He was hunched over, with a black cloak that resembled feathers coating his body.

"Who are you?!" Juvia demanded.

"Geier the Vulture," the man answered, "I am the leader of the Tri-Blades."

"Never heard of you," Juvia answered, as she glared at him.

"Most of the people I interact with are either my clients, or my targets," Geier explained, "My client's contact consists of silence, and my targets are all dead, naturally."

"So I'm your target?" Juvia asked.

"Not necessarily," Geier answered, as he held up one hand. Juvia cringed at the sight of his gnarled hands, with long, razor sharp nails.

"I'm not here to kill you," the Vulture further explained, "That wasn't my assignment. My assignment is to prevent you from interfering with Frieze's ploy. I don't go beyond what my contract details. Be thankful for that, you won't need to fear being killed."

"Juvia has to save Lucy!" Juvia declared, as she got ready to fight.

"Is that the name of Frieze's 'golden girl'?" Grier asked, "Ah well, I guess it doesn't matter. He'll probably dispose of her when the ritual is done."

"What ritual?"

"What does it matter? You won't be finding out about it."

**(with Gray)**

Of all the people who actually had it rather easy, Gray was the one who had it as such. He had been spat into a place where several of the mooks happened to be sitting. After beating a lot of them up, Gray turned his attention to getting information. After a couple of tries, he eventually got the information he needed, but before he could head out, he saw a short figure in the tunnel.

"Ah great, let me guess I have to beat you to pass?" Gray said.

"Am I standing in your way?"

"That's I yes I presume?" The man smiled.

"Hopefully our interaction will span more than just the two of us exchanging smartass comments to each other," he said, "I suppose I'll be the first to talk about it. My name is Agora, I am the head of Lord Frieze's ritual projects."

"I don't really care who you are," Gray said, as he put his hands together, "Not unless you can tell me where Lucy is."

"Simple, she's in the center," Agora answered. Gray paused in surprise.

"Why did you tell me that?"

"Because even if by some miracle you could defeat me, there is no chance you can defeat Lord Frieze," Agora explained, "Why do you think he controls so many separate dark guilds?"

"Again, I don't care who he is," Gray said, "He's the one who took Lucy while she was pregnant, so he needs to get his ass kicked."

"My lord is the most powerful of the dark lords in the continent," Agora said, "You think you or anyone else can fight him?"

"Its either that or Natsu," Gray said, "And I don't want to give Natsu the satisfaction of beating him."

**(with Natsu and Elfman)**

Elfman looked over Natsu, noting that there weren't any cracks or signs of damage on him. He was still melting, but it was slow, and there was no telling how long it would take from him to fully recover. In the mean time, he would stay here, and make nothing happened to the Salamander.

Natsu, who was unconscious in the ice, could do nothing but hear, and hear one thing. It was the sound of Lucy crying.

**Note: I'm hope you enjoyed this, since there wasn't really much to this chapter aside from Elfman's fight. I decided to reuse the Tri-Blades, since I thought it could make some interesting fights. I've done the pair off, and as you can guess, the next few chapters will probably consist of the group fighting their enemies.**

**Natsu will be sitting this out for a time, since he's frozen.**

**Be sure to review.**


	38. Waves and Clones

_**Waves and Clones**_

Elfman tried to think of a way to speed up Natsu's melting. Sadly he didn't have any magic that created anything really warm. He was relegated to trying to start a fire at Natsu's feet.

"Damn it!" he said, "A real man should be able to start a fire!"

"You won't succeed," Zephyr said. Elfman whirled around to see Zephyr weakly sitting up. He took a fighting position.

"I could've just killed you when I regained consciousness," the Space Mage said, "I'm out of power." Elfman glared at him.

"So what now?" Zephyr asked.

"You piss off," Elfman answered.

"Really, you won't try and ask for information, or where your friends are, and how to get them back?" Zephyr asked.

"You said yourself that you don't have any magic power left," the Take-Over mage explained, "And I won't leave Natsu." Zephyr was silent for a time, as a sinister grin slid onto his face.

"You're an idiot," he said, as he grinned, "You don't know when people lie." He then warped away, much to Elfman's surprise.

**(with Frieze)**

Frieze could hear Zephyr warp into the room, but didn't turn away from the ritual.

"My lord," Zephyr said.

"Ah, Zephyr, I was under the impression that you were defeated," Frieze said.

"It takes more than that to defeat one of the Tri-Blades," Zephyr answered.

"Is that so?" the lord said.

"Just give me a few minutes, and I'll…"

"My board uses Link magic," Frieze interrupted, as he looked at Zephyr, and walked towards him, "Link magic doesn't lie, nor does it make mistakes."

"Uh….," Zephyr stuttered.

"You were defeated," Frieze said, as he approached the mercenary. It was then that Zephyr realized that Frieze was a full head taller than him. And Zephyr wasn't short.

"Don't worry," Frieze said, "I am not intolerant of failure." Zephyr let out a brief sigh of relief.

"From my observation, people who fail will always be useful," Frieze said, "They can be used as a power source." He then held up his hand. Zephyr didn't even had time to open his mouth, as he promptly became a pile of soot. A magic aura slid out of the pile, as it was siphoned off into the statues.

"Any effect?" he asked the ritualist.

"No…," the performer trailed off before recoiling in surprise, "Actually…. yes! That aura increased the magic output of the Six Wombs. We should be able to complete it in just one more hour."

"Brilliant," Frieze said, "I'll be looking forward to killing these Fairies with the magic of their own child."

"What about the child's father? He is one of the guild's strongest."

"He will not be able to interfere," Frieze answered, "True, he can melt out of the ice I froze him in, but I also froze his mind. He's stuck in limbo in his mind, until he eventually melts out of that. A simpleton like him, it will be some time."

"You are brilliant, m'Lord."

"I know."

**(with Levy)**

"Solid Script: Fire!" The "fire" letters sprung at Netja, which collided directly with her. Levy blinked in surprised.

"Wait! That worked?" she asked.

"Not even close," Netja's voice answered. Levy whirled around, to see Netja standing a nearby rock.

"How did you…," she began, only to be kicked in the back. With a cry Levy tumbled away.

"I thought you were smart enough to know to watch your blindspot," Netja commented. Levy turned, and saw her there as well, having apparently disappeared from the rock.

"Solid Script: Water!" Levy declared, as she wrote "water", sending a torrent that consumed Netja, only for her to again disappear.

"Damn it!" Levy muttered as she looked around, not intent on making the same mistake again.

"You're learning, I guess I can praise you for that," Netja's voice echoed.

"What're you, too afraid to actually face against me?" Levy called.

"No, I'm just passing the time. Soon Lord Frieze's plan'll be compete, and he'll kill the rest anyway. He's more flashy too, so maybe I should just let you live. What do you think?"

"I think you love hearing the sound of your own voice," Levy answered, as she looked around, "If your plan is to talk me to death, you might actually have some success with that."

"I'm not a fan of wisecrackers," Netja sneered.

"Hate to break it to you, sister, but it comes with the guild."

"Then I'm going to certainly look forward to Lord Frieze burning it to the ground," Netja said. Levy then saw her leaning against the wall, her arms folded.

"Now let's see what you're made of," Netja said, gesturing for the Solid Script mage to come. Levy took a breath, as she took out her pen.

"Its time you see just what Fairy Tail is made of," she said.

**(with Cana)**

"Take this baldy!" Cana yelled, as she threw her glowing cards at Xinglong, who remained still as the cards shot him, before holding up his hand, and waving. The cards swirl back at Cana, who only just managed to jump out of the way.

"Really, going after my shaved head?" Xinglong asked.

"You're not worth the time it would take to think of a real insult," Cana said, as she pulled out another couple cards. The cards had "Wind" and "Fire" on them.

"Card Magic: Inferno!" As the cards were thrown, they combined into a massive torrent of flames, which swirled around Xinglong, as he waved his hand again.

"Attacking me didn't work the last time, why would it work now?" Xinglong said. However, when the fire cleared, Cana was trying to punch him. However, Xinglong easily avoided the attack, and kicked Cana away.

"What did you think that would accomplish?" Xinglong asked, folding his arms behind his back. Cana glared at him as she rose back to her feet.

"Though I suppose I should've made it more clear that I'm also a martial artist," Xinglong said, "Limiting one's skills to their magic is an inefficient way of fighting." The drunk ran her options. There weren't many. This guy had her outclassed in several fields, including physicality. And Cana was no pushover when it came to hand to hand fighting; a couple times she actually went up against Elfman. All the times she heaved up late barrels paid off.

The only option she had was to keep trying. She had to find out what to do at some point.

"Card Magic: Lightning!" Cana declared as she threw some more cards at Xinglong, which created a bolt of lightning in his direction, which he waved again.

"So much suffering," he muttered, as he pointed at Cana. Cana then let out a cry of pain, as she was struck in the side by a burst of energy. Before she could react, she was struck in the opposing side by another blast, which sent her tumbling away.

"You can't win," Xinglong said, "Just retreat. I won't pursue you." Cana let out a gasp, as she tried to get up, only to tumble over again. Xinglong narrowed his eyes.

"You took my friend, while she was pregnant," Cana muttered, as she slowly got back up, before she looked up at him, her eyes blazing, "I will never leave! Not without Lucy!"

**(with Natsu and Elfman)**

Elfman was leaning against a rock, staring at the hall, waiting for someone to come. He was all that was standing between them and Natsu, and he was intent on not letting anyone lay a finger on the Salamander. He was a man after all.

During this, Natsu remained still, as he continued to melt.

_(in the mental world)_

_The normally burning world that existed within Natsu was now completely frozen, the magma solid rock, and snow falling to the earth instead of ash. Natsu himself, knelt in the cold, completely still. He couldn't move, he couldn't feel anything, it was if the rest of the world had just disappeared._

"_I really hope our kid takes after me instead of you." Natsu couldn't look up, but he knew that voice to be Lucy's. The blonde stood before him, her hands on her hips, frowning down at him._

"_Because I hate to think of the notion of him being so wimpy, letting a little cold bring him down," Lucy said, a she knelt down at Natsu, putting her finger on his forehead, "You'll be a bad influence on him." Where Lucy's finger was, Natsu could feel an iota of warmth, but he still couldn't move. Lucy sighed, as she stood up straight again._

"_Come on, lover boy," she said, "Don't tell me you're giving up already? The Natsu I know would never let something like this keep him down. He would melt right through this ice like it was nothing. Now get off your ass, and take initiative!"_

_(in the real world)_

Natsu remained frozen, as he heard Lucy's words echo through his head.

**(with Levy)**

Levy wasn't making any progress either. Every attack she threw at Netja went through, but didn't seem to do any damage, and Netja wasn't having any trouble hitting Levy. As if that wasn't enough, during all of that, Levy was continuously draining her own magic pool, in her constant, in vain attempts to hit her. On the practically non existent plus side, she eventually realized what kind of Netja was using.

"Double Magic," Levy muttered as she rose to her feet after another strike.

"Come again?"

"You're using Double Magic," Levy explained, "That explains a lot, every time I strike you, I'm just destroying another double. In fact, I probably even seen the real you yet. All of these women are your doubles."

"How observant," Netja said.

"But unfortunately for you, I also know its weaknesses. I've studied lots of magic, including Double Magic," Levy said, pointing at the first Netja she saw, "You can't create doubles within a certain radius, and it has to be in direct line of sight. That means you're in this hall somewhere, among them."

"Clever girl," Netja said, "But surely you know just knowing what I can do isn't enough to defeat me." Levy grinned, as she pulled out her pen.

"Actually, now that I know you're nearby, I've got all I need," she said. This next spell was going to take up a sizable chunk of her remaining magic power, but Levy didn't care.

"This is for you, Lu!" she declared, "Solid Script: Explosion!"

**(with Cana)**

Cana was blasted away again by Xinglong's magic. As she skidded to the ground, Xinglong winced.

"Why must you keep on fighting?" he asked, "I hate inflicting suffering!"

"Didn't I make it clear?!" Cana yelled as she looked up," I've got to save Lucy! And her baby!" As she rose to her feet, she glared at Xinglong.

"Come to think of it, you say you hate inflicting suffering, and yet you're working for a dark lord?" she said, "What kind of sense does that make?"

"I may hate to inflict suffering, but I need to get by," Xinglong explained, "And my oath as a monk forbids me from joining a guild, so I had to become a mercenary." Cana clenched her fists.

"Listen here you…" She was silenced when the wall exploded. The two fighters turned as two bodies were flung into the room. Cana was quick to recognize one.

"Levy!" she called, as she pulled out a card, and threw it. The card turned into a pillow, which Levy landed safely on. Meanwhile, Xinglong flicked his wrist, and Netja, who was the other body, floated slowly to the ground.

"Damn it!" Netja said as she looked up, "She got the drop on me." She then looked up at Xinglong.

"You're one of the mercenaries?" she asked.

"Have you seen me around before?"

"No."

"Then that should answer your question," Xinglong said as he looked back the Fairy girls.

"Now if you will please step aside, so I can end this," he said.

"Hell no!" Netja said as she got back, "I want to kick the blue haired girl's ass!" Cana wasn't paying attention to their bickering, her attention on Levy.

"Come on, Levy!" she said, "Talk to me!" Levy cringed as she looked up at Cana.

"Hey Cana," she said, smiling, "Hate to drop in on you like this." Cana smiled at that.

"Can you stand?" After getting confirmation, she helped Levy to her feet. The two then looked at their opponents.

"The bald guy your enemy?" Levy asked.

"Unfortunately," Cana answered, "Though I can't say I'm having much luck. You?"

"Well, I scored one hit, though she scored about ten hits on me."

"That's more that I've been able to do." Cana then pulled out a couple more cards.

"We shouldn't have split up," she said, "We need to work together if we want to save Lucy." Levy pulled out her pen.

"Let's kick their asses!" she declared. Xinglong stepped forward.

"Please stand back, Ms. Netja," he said, "I can finish this quicker."

"I guess I didn't make it clear, so let me say again," Netja said, before clearing her throat, "HELL NO!" She then glowed as several new clones flashed into existence.

"Why don't you stand back?" she sneered.

"I'd offer for us to work together, but you'd refuse," Xinglong said, "So…" He couldn't finish when he had to redirect a powerful blast from one of Cana's cards. Several of Netja's doubles, but not Netja herself, charged Cana.

"Solid Script: Wall!" Levy said, as "wall" appeared before Netja. The doubles slammed face first into the wall.

"Solid Script: Rock!" The massive stone letters crashed down, crushing the doubles.

"Take this!" Netja said, as she pointed at Levy. Several clones appeared around her, but they were blasted away by Cana.

"Thanks!"

"No problem!" Cana answered. Xinglong ran at the girls.

"Solid Script: Hole!" Levy said, as a hole appeared in Xinglong's path. However, Xinglong seemed to grab the air, and pull it, as the hole seemed to twist away.

"How…" Levy didn't get to finish, as she got hit by a blast of Xinglong's magic.

"Card Magic: Typhoon!" Cana yelled, throwing four cards, which formed a swirling torrent of wind at Xinglong, who bent the wind out of the way, into Levy's direction.

"Solid Script: Wall!" Levy said, as she dove behind her wall. Netja's doubles were promptly blown away.

"Hey, watch where you're aiming!" Netja yelled.

"I can't aim after bending them," Xinglong answered.

"Solid Script: Fire!" Fire descended on Xinglong, who held up his hand, and the fire bent away. In his moment of distraction, Cana threw several more cards at him. Xinglong held up his hand to deflect them, but was too slow, as the cards struck him, sending him careening back. He managed to regain his footing, as he looked up at Cana.

"Good, this fight isn't completely one sided after all," Xinglong said.

"You haven't seen anything yet!" Cana said, before throwing cards that read "Fire" and "Lighting". Both burst into magic energy, while Xinglong managed to deflect the fire. However, the lightning he had to jump out of the way of. Something Cana took note of.

"Take this!" she said, as she threw a card at the ground. The card had "Smoke" written on it. In the distraction, Cana ran in Levy's direction.

"How you doing?" she asked.

"Probably not much better than you," Levy answered, as she panted, "These two are tough."

"Yeah, we need to change our strategy," Cana said, "I think I realized the bald guy's weaknesses."

"What's the plan?" Levy asked.

"Ever wonder what happens if you write letters on my cards?" Cana asked with a grin. Meanwhile, Xinglong flipped back to Netja.

"Why are we letting them talk like that?" Netja asked.

"I was occupied," Xinglong said, "What's you excuse?" Netja scowled at him. Cana and Levy then turned in face their foes, as Cana drew her cards.

"You sure about this?" Levy asked.

"If I wasn't I wouldn't be suggesting it," Cana answered, "Now let's do it!" She then held the cards between the fingers, and Levy briefly scribbled on them.

"Now take this!" Cana said, as she threw the cards. The cards, which had the words "Fire" written on both of them by Levy. The cards themselves were "Impact".

"Story of the Cards!" the girls said in unison, as a massive blaze of fire blasted at the enemies. Xinglong held up his hands to deflect them. But as much as he tried, he couldn't redirect the magic.

"What're you doing, why aren't you deflecting it?" Netja demanded.

"That's a Unison Raid!" Xinglong said, "The waves are…." He couldn't finish, as the fire consumed both of them, sending both Xinglong and Netja careening away into a wall. The girls were both panting.

"You owe me a drink," Cana said with a grin.

"And you owe me a… favor," Levy said.

**Note: I know this was much shorter than my fights usually are. But I don't want to doddle anywhere. I want to get through this, so as to get to the main bulk of the story again, which was why I opted to make Levy and Cana's fight end the same chapter, and sorry for not having a better ending. I have another three full fights to do after this one, and that isn't easy.**

**Be sure to review.**

**You know, I recently saw the reviews of chapter 323, by Sawyer7mage and King of Lightning. Different strokes for different folks and all, but those reviews are especially mean, and the comments are also especially mean. One guy went so far as to complain FT fans to pedophiles. I'm not making that up. Comparing people who disagree with you to pedophiles, only on the Internet people.**

**I'm sorry for constantly spamming you with this, but it really gets to me when people are this mean to FT and its fans.**


	39. Wind of Swords

_**Wind of Swords**_

Frieze noticed both Xinglong and Netja had been defeated. The air around him suddenly became considerably warmer, as a couple blood snakes around him abruptly incinerated. The amount of warriors fighting from him had dropped another two members. He couldn't sacrifice either of them to the ritual, since they were too far away, and even if they weren't, putting more magic power into the ritual at this point would probably overcome the girl, and kill both her and the child.

"Keep going," Frieze ordered, as he looked over his shoulder, "Don't stop, no matter the circumstances!"

**(with Wendy)**

"Sky Dragon's Roar!" Wendy said as she let out a burst of dragon wind at Trak. However, the guy seemed to disintegrate, and vanish into thin air.

"You know this is the fourth time you tried it," Trak commented, as he rematerialized in another section of the tunnel. Wendy cringed, as she looked up at her enemy. During this, Carla and Happy were in the background, with Happy holding Erza.

Wendy was making absolutely no progress. Every attack she threw at Trak, consisted of the dark mage apparently avoiding all of them. One of the problem that she faced, was that she was never truly much of a fighter. True, Natsu had spent some time training her how to fight, but by heart, Wendy was a pacifist; she didn't injure people, she healed them. But she had to do it; she had to save Lucy. If Natsu was her older brother, that made Lucy her big sister, and their future child her soon to be niece or nephew.

"Come on Wendy!" Happy said, "You can do it!"

"Sky Dragon's Crushing Fist!" Wendy said, as she brought her wind infused fist down in Trak's direction. However Trak held up his hand, as the Wendy was suddenly struck in the side of her body. The girl let out a cry as she was knocked away by the force.

"Wendy!" Carla cried, before looking at Erza, "Aren't you going to help her?"

"Aye!" Happy said, as he turned Erza toward him, "You can help Wendy out!" Erza's eyes glowed very briefly, but didn't do anything. Wendy looked up at Trak, glaring.

"What kind of magic is this?" she asked. Trak paused as if he apparently considered that, before shrugging.

"You'll be dead pretty soon, so I guess I can tell you," he said, "This is Particle Magic. I can control particles of all kinds." Wendy figured that was how he managed to redirect her attack, and how managed to similarly disintegrate and reform, since he was apparently doing just that. But that left her with few options. To that end, Wendy decided to play it safe.

"Sky Dragon's Roar!" she said, as she exhaled the full force of her attack. Trak held up his hand, as the wind bent around him, as he manipulated the particles. He then clenched his fist. Rocks formed over Wendy, and collapsed down. The girl managed to dodge them, but just barely. _He can condense particles to something solid apparently_ she thought. That meant that he could do range attacks.

"Impressive how one kind of magic can do much, isn't it?" Trak said, "I can take the smallest particles in the air, and make them into almost anything I choose." He then held up his hand, and the particles condensed to form a sword. He then leapt at Wendy, and slashed. The girl dodged, but the sword caught a couple of hairs. That was rather too close for comfort. She then leapt into the air, holding up her arm.

"Sky Dragon's Guillotine!" She then brought down her arm, which was cloaked in more dragon wind. It cleaved down on Trak. It struck down on him, as he seemed to be bisected vertically, much to Wendy's alarm .

"Oh no!" Wendy cried in horror, as she covered her mouth, terrified by the notion she may have just killed a man.

"She split him straight in half!" Happy said. Carla saw that, but she wasn't as convinced about the results. However, the two halves of the body suddenly disintegrated, before it reformed in Trak's body.

"I can dissolve my body into individual particles," Trak said

"Sky Dragon's Wing Attack!" Wendy said, as she brought down her magic enhanced arms. Trak disintegrated, and reformed further away. In the process he dropped the sword, and it disintegrated, something that didn't go unnoticed by Carla, but Happy and Wendy were both too focused on the fight to realize that.

"Close but… actually no, that wasn't close in the least. If you do really want to beat me girl, you've better rise another several notches in skill."

"Then that's what I'll do!" Wendy declared, as she swallowed an amount of air. During all of this, Erza stared at the fight.

**(with Natsu)**

Natsu was still slowly thawing out of his icy prison. His chest was now glowing very lightly, but he wasn't in a much better state than he was earlier.

_(in the mental world)_

_Natsu remained still in the frozen wasteland around him. The image of Lucy was sitting on a rock, glaring at him._

"_I'm losing my patience here, Natsu," she said, "Seriously, if anything happens to me or our baby…." She shook her head._

"_No, can't think like that," Lucy said, before sighing, and looking back at him, "But I can't wait for much longer. If you don't do something, something bad will happen to me, and our child. You know you can't let that happen." She then stood up, and started to fade away._

"_Come save us," Lucy whispered before she vanished into fog._

_During this, Igneel watched from further up in the mist. He certainly wanted to take action against this, but he could not directly affect Natsu like this. Smaug, as a part of Natsu, was also frozen solid, which may have been a good thing, seeing as this would've been a perfect opportunity for him to seize control of Natsu._

"_Come on, boy," he muttered, "Save your mate. Save my grandchild."_

_(in the real world)_

Natsu remained still. But his chest glowed slightly brighter.

**(with Wendy)**

Wendy was knocked back by another one of Trak's blasts. She then whirled around to face him, as she held up her arm.

"Sky Dragon's Scythe!" An arc of wind was slashed in Trak's direction. The dark mage disintegrated, before reforming further on.

"Particle Magic: Rain of Rocks!" Trak said, as he held up his arms. Rocks then formed over Wendy, and melted down on her. The girl let out a cry as the rocks pelted her.

"Wendy!" Carla cried, before looking at Erza, "Damn it, Erza! You know you can help her! Can you just swallow your damn pride!" Erza was still. Carla was going to make another demand, but Happy had a better idea.

"Aye!" Happy said, "Take this!" He then threw Erza. The mage turned staff's eyes glowed angrily at that. Wendy looked over her shoulder, and saw Erza spinning toward her. Instinctively she reached out her arm, as she caught Erza.

"I'm sorry to do this to you, Erza," Wendy said, "But we need to save Lucy. Will you help me?" There was a period of silence, before Erza' flashed "yes". Wendy grinned.

"Let's do this!" she declared. Erza was silent for a time again, before her eyes glowed in agreement, to which Wendy smiled. She then turned to face Trak.

"So you're using the girl that was cursed, eh?" Trak asked, arching his eyebrow, "That's certainly creative, but it won't do any good."

"Watch me," Wendy declared, as she thrust Erza forward. A couple of blades then appeared out of thin air, and slashed at Trak. However, Trak held up his hand, and the swords disintegrated.

"I'm insulted by how quick you've seem to forgotten my magic," Trak said, "Particles are particles, no matter what it is." That didn't discourage Wendy, as she swung Erza, sending another few blades at him. Trak again dissolved the metal. While he was focused on that, Wendy inhaled, and let her breath attack again. Trak leapt out of the way.

"He dodged," Carla muttered, as he watched.

"Aye! Cause he's a whimp who can't handle Wendy!" Happy said, "Go get him!"

"That's not what I meant tom-cat!" Carla said, "I meant that he didn't try to redirect Wendy's Roar while he was dissolving the swords. It doesn't seem like he can manipulate the particles of something, while he's focusing on another different thing." Wendy then jumped at Trak, as she swung down at him, summoning Erza's Lighting Empress spear, which struck down at Trak, who concentrated a wall into existence.

"Wendy!" Carla called, "You have to merge your power with Erza's!"

"Merge?" Wendy echoed, as she looked at Erza. True that notion had crossed her mind, but she didn't think she could. But if the whole point of the Furari Potentia was to allow a person to manipulate another's magic power, then supposedly it could be done.

"Erza?" Erza's eyes flashed "yes".

"Well then I guess its worth a shot," Wendy said, as she held Erza in front of her, as she closed her eyes, and concentrated. This didn't go unnoticed by Trak.

"Like I'm going to let you gather strength," he said, as he held up his hands. However, his focus was broken when Trak was body slammed in the face by Happy flying at him. That gave Wendy and Erza just the amount of time that they needed. They were now both glowing, as wind picked up around them, and blades appeared in the wind. Wendy then held up Erza, and glared at Trak as he regained his footing and looked in her direction.

"Wind of Swords!" The blades then spun through the wind, as they blasted down at Trak. Trak held up his hands to dissipate the attack, but found he couldn't. The magical particles of the combined attacks were too tightly intertwined to do anything.

"No! This can't be!" he cried, as he was struck directly by the attack. He was blasted through the air, before slamming into the wall. He was unconscious before he even hit it. Wendy panted as she looked at her defeated foe.

"You did it!" Happy cried happily. Carla sighed in relief. Wendy then looked at Erza, and smiled.

"Thanks," she said. Erza's eyes glowed warmly.

**(with Frieze)**

The indication of Trak's defeat showed itself on Frieze's map. Another several blood snakes incinerated, and another several froze.

"Looks like I might be going into battle sooner than I thought," he muttered.

**Note: I hope you liked the fight between Wendy and Trak. I know this chapter was relatively short, but there's only so much I can do with this. And this fight at least has Trak losing in a serious way, unlike his fight with Juvia, which was meant to be comedic.**

**Next chapter will feature Juvia and Geier's fight. It might not be too long either.**

**Be sure to review.**

**Something I'm considering doing is another story about Fairy Tail's disbandment, and what happens afterwards with the characters, specifically Natsu being seriously torn up about it, in a similar vein to **_**I See Fire In the Sky**_**, which was very fun for me to write. For me, you can never have too many stories, active or not. Also, there seems to be a serious lack of stories with that premise (including my own, I've only see maybe four), and I urge more people to do stories like that. Please feel free to share ideas like those if you have them.**


	40. Water Hydra

_**Water Hydra**_

After setting Erza aside, Wendy clasped against the wall, panting.

"That was awesome, Wendy!" Happy said, as he floated up to her. Wendy smiled at him.

"It was mostly thanks to Erza," she said.

"Don't sell yourself short," Carla said, "You were the one who did the fighting." Erza's eyes flashed in agreement.

"What do we do now?" Happy asked.

"Wendy and I aren't doing anything," Carla said, "We're going to find our way to the others, and rest. Wendy is in no condition to keep fighting."

"But I've got to help with Lucy," Wendy said, "She might be hurt."

"Again, you re not in any condition to fight," Carla repeated, "And if Frieze truly is as powerful as some say he is, then he will have no trouble defeating you. We'll bring Lucy to you, if she needs healing."

"Well, if you're not going to go, I'm going to go look for Lucy!" Happy said as he flew away into the darkness.

"Wait Happy!" Wendy called, "Its dangerous!"

"The tom-cat will be fine," Carla said, "He's small, so he can hide."

**(with Juvia)**

"Water Slicer!" The blades of water shot at Geier, who easily leapt out of the way. He then held up his arms, as trace of blue magic were drawn into his robe. That had been happening for a long time now, with Juvia launching an attack, Geier dodging, and him absorbing the traces from Juvia's magic. The Rain Woman couldn't figure out how or why, but she figured that it wasn't going to end up well.

"I'm going to ask you again! Where's Lucy?" she demanded. Like all the others, Juvia was determined to save Lucy and her child. After getting into a relationship with Natsu, it eliminated any danger of her competing with Juvia for Gray. As a result, Juvia was now going to fight tooth and nail for her friend.

"I'm not being paid to give you information," the Vulture said, "I'm being paid to eliminate you."

"Yeah, yeah, I heard you the first time," Juvia said, holding up her hands, "But you know that Juvia isn't going to let you win."

"That probably won't be up to you," Geier said, as he held out his gnarled hand, and clenched it. The sight made Juvia's teeth clench.

"I don't care! You're still going to lose!"

"I suppose we'll see," Geier asked, arching an eyebrow and gesturing, "Try again?"

"With pleasure!" Juvia declared, "Water Sniper!" She then brought her hands together, before thrusting them out. A thin blast of water was shot at Geier, but he created a pair of wings, and flapped up. More of the traces of blue magic went into his robe.

"What? Are you afraid to actually face Juvia?" Juvia demanded. Geier ignored her, as he landed, and took a breath.

"I think that's enough, I've had my fill," he said, as he then held up his hands, "Water Slicer!" Blades of water then jetted at Juvia.

"That's Juvia's technique!" she cried, as she was knocked back, having expected the attacks to go right through her. Grabbing at her wounds, Juvia briefly mulled over the notion of using that against others, but quickly refocused on her enemy.

"How….," she muttered. Geier paused, apparently thinking.

"I suppose there is nothing stating that telling you will deduct my payment, as long as you still die," he said, "Very well. My magic is Scavenger Magic."

"Scavenger Magic?"

"The fact that you repeated it means that you heard me. I suppose that's a good thing. Yes, Scavenger Magic."

"Juvia's never heard of it," Juvia said.

"I guess you wouldn't, its not commonplace," Geier said, "But don't worry, I'll explain it. You see, whenever a magical technique is utilized, there are traces of magical energy that are left. What Scavenger Magic does, is absorb those traces, and let someone else use them. And that is how I manage to strike you, even with your water body. You can't defend against your own magic power."

"So you're essentially just stealing another person's power?"

"Of course not!" Grier protested, "Far from it. I'm simply cleaning up. " He then held up his arms, as massive tendrils of water shot out from his cloak. Juvia, this time, had to leap out of the way. Honestly, she was not used to that. Normally she could just let an attack go through her, but this was obviously not an example of that.

"Normally this would be the time for me to request your surrender, but I'm being paid to eliminate those who oppose Lord Frieze," Geier said, "I like to earn my payment."

"Then Juvia is afraid you're probably not going to be hired again!"

**(with Gray)**

"Ice Make: Spear!" Several massive ice spears were formed, blasting at Agora. However, they didn't do anything as Agora held up his hands. A series of needles shot out of palms, as they destroyed the ice.

Unlike the others, Gray found out Agora's magic rather quickly. It was Needle Magic, which was exactly what it sounded like, with Agora being able to create needles out of nothing. Gray knew that those needles weren't normal, and he certainly didn't want to be hit by any of them.

Agora held out his hand, as a particularly long needle formed in it. He spun it through his fingers, as he pointed it at Gray.

"You're not going to win," he said, "You are free to keep fighting, but it will be quite a painful way to die."

"No more painful than what you're putting Lucy and her kid through," Gray answered, putting his hands together.

"Actually, the ritual is quite painless," Agora answered, "Its as if the blonde is peacefully sleeping."

"Ritual?" Gray asked. Agora blinked, as he pinched himself between his eyes.

"Damn my tongue," he said, "Now you certainly have to die." He then threw the needle spear at Gray, who formed an ice shield.

"Ice Make: Arrows!" Gray slammed his palm into the ice wall. Bolts of ice then shot out from wall at Agora, who jumped out of the way.

"Needle Rifle!" A thin needle shot out of Agora's fingertip, jetting towards Gray. He leaned out of the way, but the needle grazed his arm. Gray hissed as he grabbed his wound. He quickly countered by slamming his hand into the ground, sending spikes of ice coursing through the ground in Agora's direction. As the ice approached, he smiled.

"So that's the game? Very well, I can play," he said, before stamping his foot into the ground, "Field of Needles!" From the ground, erupted massive needles into the air, as the ice was shattered by the metal.

"Crap!" Gray snapped, as he formed a ice pillar for him to stand on, avoiding the massive needles.

"That was very nimble of you, boy," Agora noted, as he jumped up, balancing nearly perfectly on a needle, folding his arms behind his back.

"What's your game?" Gray demanded, as he created an ice javelin, and held at the ready.

"Well you know about the ritual," Agora said, "I suppose I can tell you more. Now put down the shaft and we can talk."

"Up yours!"

"Oh well," Agora said, "I'll still tell you." He then opened his mouth to explain.

**(with Natsu and Elfman)**

Natsu was still thawing, while Elfman kept any eye on him.

"Elfman!" The man turned and saw Levy and Cana coming into the room.

"You're alright!" Elfman said.

"So are you," Cana noted.

"Of course I am, I'm a man!" Elfman declared.

"Natsu's still frozen?" Levy asked, as she went up to the Dragon Slayer, "I'd think he'd be fully thawed out by now."

"Obviously this isn't some kind of regular Ice Magic," Cana said.

"I actually don't think this is Ice Magic," Levy said, "If it were, Natsu would be back to normal by now."

"Then what is it?" Elfman asked. Levy paused as she thought.

"I've read about a magic that can control the very basics of hot and cold," she said, "According to the book, it requires an immense amount of finesse and skill to use. But I guess if Frieze is anything like his reputation says, then he should be able to do it."

"Then that should explain why Natsu's still like this," Cana said, "His body temperature must have gone to the absolute minimum."

"Well his chest is glowing," Levy noted, "I guess that's a good thing." Cana threw a couple of fire cards around his feet.

"Its better than nothing," she said, "There's not much we can do but try and speed up his thawing process."

**(with Gray)**

Gray's eyes widened as he heard Agora's explanation.

"That's….," he said. There was no word that properly described that. To use a baby as if it were a tool. That was beyond monstrous.

"How can you work for a guy who would do that?" Gray demanded.

"Come now, you can't help but find the notion of a magic item based on the power of a Dragon Slayer and a Celestial Mage interesting," Agora said.

"No!" Gray snapped, "Because I don't think about turning a baby into a tool!"

"What a narrowed minded way of looking at the world," Agora sneered.

"Screw you!" Gray said, as he got ready to fight again.

**(with Juvia)**

Juvia could only get truly wet if she so willed it. It was one of the perks of being a Water Mage. This was an exception. The girl was now soaked to the bone, having only been able to dodge so many of Geier's attacks. The Vulture barely had a scratch on him. Every attack Juvia threw at him, Geier managed to dodge or block, and absorb the traces.

"Water Spear!" Geier held up his hand, creating a wall of water, which cancelled out the other attack. The magic traces were again absorbed.

"You're losing, clearly," Geier said, "There's nothing you can do. You have nothing left."

That wasn't true, there was one technique Juvia still had up her sleeve. It was a technique she hadn't used since she was a member of Phantom Lord, but it was for good reason. When Juvia last used that spell, it helped level part of a town. But now…. Did she really have a choice?

_(Flashback)_

"_So that's it," Juvia said, as she stared at the floor. Makarov's face scrunched up as he sighed._

"_That's quite a story, one I'm all too familiar with," he said._

"_I promised I'd never use that spell again," Juvia said solemnly, "It was too dangerous."_

"_I"m not going to say that you're wrong, because technically you're not," Makarov said, as he looked at her. Juvia clenched her fists, as she nodded._

"_But bare this in mind," Makarov said. Juvia looked up at the guild master._

"_Running away from it will not solve the issue," Makarov explained, "There might come a day where you need to summon it. When there's enemy you can't defeat otherwise. If that day comes, you must seize it by its frill, and face it head on. Only then will you truly be free from that fear."_

_(End Flashback)_

"Forgive me everyone," Juvia whispered, as she held up her arms. Water swirled around her. Geier didn't see the point, but he remained silent. The water then gathered on Juvia's back, as it took a long, more distinct form. A total of two tendrils were formed, but at the end was what look like some kind of hand. No, not a hand, a mouth; a mouth full of sharp teeth.

"Water Hydra." On Juvia's back, were two lashing, serpentine heads. Each head had glaring, sinister eyes that glowed bright red, with a frill splayed out behind it. But they didn't look like snakes, as one would think a hydra would be. No, they were closer to viperfish than anything else. Geier arched his eyebrow.

"So you've sprouted a couple extra heads, am I supposed to be impressed?" he asked.

"Please," Juvia said softly, "I don't want to have to use this technique. But…."

"There is no 'but' about this situation child," Geier said, "One of us wins, and one of us loses. That's a simple fact." Juvia clenched her fists, as the heads around her bared their teeth.

"Very well," she said, "But you have been warned." The heads then shot at Geier, who leapt out of the way, but when he turned to acquire the traces, the heads shot at him again. There was nothing for Geier to scavenge, since the magic technique was still active.

The four heads then shot at Geier again, who opened a pair of wings, and slashed at the heads, taking one of them off. However the head quickly reformed, but grew another, turning two into three.

"Don't you know? Cut off one head, two more shall takes its place," Juvia explained. This technique, Water Hydra, was one of Juvia's strongest, but it was also one of the most dangerous.

It was relatively simple, with Juvia basically giving a steady stream of magic energy to the spell, but in order to properly perform it, the strain wasn't on her magic, but her mind. The hydra was fueled by, and directly connected to, Juvia's negative emotions. The more heads, the more angry Juvia became. Eventually, it could go so far that Juvia could lose control.

The max amount of heads that Juvia could create was nine, maybe ten. However, the amount that she could maintain while also maintaining her own mental state, was four. Anymore, and Juvia ran the risk of losing control. Unfortunately, that may not have been up to her. Due to the constant magic power being flowed into them, the heads not only reformed about being cut off, but also doubled, which was how Juvia came to name it. She just had to hope that Geier would be smart enough to realize that shopping them wouldn't work.

The now three heads launched at Geier again, who flapped away, and then dove at Juvia. He held up his talons, and got ready to slash her. Juvia managed to avoid the attack, and sent the heads at him again. They snapped at his heels, as Geier flew away. One of the heads than seemed to unhinge its jaw, as a massive jet of water shot at the Vulture, who managed to avoid the attack. And fortunate for him, since the water left a large gash in the stone wall.

Geier then swooped back at Juvia. The heads twisted to intercept him, but the man managed to avoid most of them. Too slow, Juvia was unable to respond when she was slashed across the side, right through her water body. But instead of pain, there this was strange numbness.

"What is this?" Juvia muttered, as she touched the slash marks. Geier held up his talons.

"My nails are laced with a paralytic," he explained, "Never fails to have an ace up your sleeve." Juvia growled, as she looked at her hydra.

"Damn," she muttered, before concentrating. More water built up around her, forming a fourth head. She was now visibly angry, and it showed in the heads. The frill was longer, and the eyes were now glowing brighter; not to mention they were all now noticeably larger. The heads then sprung at Geier, who leapt out of the way.

"Summon all the heads you want," he said, "You will still lose." All four heads then unhinged their jaws, sending out large jets of water at Geier. The Vulture twisted out of the way from the jets, and the snapping maws, heading towards Juvia.

The Rain Woman held up her arms, forming a water shield, but Geier flew right through it, and slashed at Juvia again with his talons on her leg. The girl let out a cry, as she doubled over, unable to feel her leg.

"You die now!" Geier proclaimed, as he dove at Juvia again, his nails pointed at her throat. Juvia clenched her fists, as she closed her eyes.

_(Flashback)_

_Juvia opened her eyes, as she sat up. She looked around. The rain fell over the rubble of the town she had come to. It was supposed to be routine job with the Element Four, but something had gone wrong._

"_You're finally up," Aria said. He was sitting on a rock, clearly exhausted. He was rather badly bruised. HIs blindfold was off._

"_Aria, what happened?" Juvia asked. That was when she noticed both Sol and Totomaru unconscious._

"_Can't say I really know," Aria answered, "All that I do know, is that you did all of this." Juvia looked around her horror, and then at her hands._

"_I… I….," she said, "I thought I could beat the monster with my Water Hydra."_

"_Well you did," Aria answered, "And you beat quite a bit as well." Juvia was now shaking, as the rain fell harder._

"_I… I…"_

_(End Flashback)_

"I'm sorry," she muttered. More water built up around her, forming a fifth head.

**(with Gray)**

A roar echoed through the halls. At first Gray thought it was Natsu, but it was too high, almost like a scream. However, his attention quickly returned to his feet. He formed another ice rampart, as he dodged Agora's attack.

Due to Agora's needle field, he couldn't properly navigate the battle area. To maneuver, he formed his ice ramparts, but even that had its limits. Agora, meanwhile was jumping cleanly from needle to needle.

"Needle Rifle!" A thin needle shot a Gray, grazing his leg. The ice mage let out a hiss, as he put his hands together.

"Ice Make: Battle Axe!" Gray said, as he cleaved down at Agora. The dark mage held up a long thin needle, as he blocked the axe. He then shot out a few needles from his fingers at Gray, who created another shield of ice.

"You're not learning are you?" Agora said, "You're ice can't beat my needles."

"Im part of Fairy Tail, we don't give up," Gray said.

"Then you're guild is…," Agora couldn't finish as they both felt a shaking.

"The hell…," Gray muttered, before looking towards Agora, "What's going on here?"

"Just because this is where I work does not mean I know everything going on everywhere," Agora answered, "Maybe…" He was silenced when the wall exploded with water, washing both men away. The two looked up after landing, as they saw a hand made out of water reach out, as a colossus made out of water emerged out of the dust.

It was a true sight to behold. It almost looked like a giant octopus mermaid, with the waist down consisting of nine writhing tentacles, save for the gnashing mouths at the end of each one. Its entire body was made of water, that was almost transparent, but still an almost beautiful light blue. But what as worse was the face. Its expression was one of almost complete madness, with the glowing red eyes wide, and the head cocked. And it was quite a familiar face.

"Juvia." He didn't know what happened to her, but whatever it was, it couldn't be good.

"What in the hell…," Agora muttered, "What's this monstrosity?!" He then looked closer.

"That's Geier!" Gray also looked closer, and saw a humanoid shape floating in Juvia's abdomen, as if she had swallowed him.

"What did you do, Juvia?" Gray whispered. Juvia remained silent, as she scoured the battlefield. She then opened her mouth, and let out a bloodcurdling scream, that seemed to rattle Gray's bones. The mouths then shot out at both of them. Both Agora and Gray leapt out of the way. But Agora then had the bright idea to try and attacking the giant water woman.

He launched several needles at Juvia, but the needles passed right through her. Juvia then held out her hand, as all nine heads struck out. Agora was too slow as he was grabbed at the ankle, and tossed into the air, only to be snapped up by another one. She traveled down the neck's throat, into Juvia's stomach, joining Geier.

"Juvia!" Gray called. Said mage looked over at him, as she reached in his direction. Gray didn't move.

"Come on!" he said, "Don't tell me you've already lost yourself." Juvia remained silent, as she neared Gray, who remained still.

"I'm not going to fight you," Gray said, as Juvia picked him up, and brought him up to her face. She then opened her mouth.

"I'm not giving up on you." With that, Juvia dropped him in her mouth.

**(with Natsu)**

_(in the mental world)_

_Natsu remained still, as the world around him remained frozen. Suddenly, there was this new form of warmth. He couldn't look up, as the small, glowing figure approached him._

"_Why are you standing here?" the figure asked, "You said you'd play with me." Natsu twitched briefly._

"_You said you'd never break a promise, Daddy."_

_(in the real world)_

Suddenly, Natsu's chest lit up bright, as the girls and Elfman glanced over.

"Wha…," Elfman began. There was then an explosion of fire, as a figure appeared in the flames.

"LLLLUUUUCCCCYYYY!"

**Note:The Water Hydra I used was based off a Deviantart image I once found. Look it up, its truly good; search "Juvia water hydra".**

**Sorry to sometimes go in between Juvia's speech patterns, but my experience is that she mixes up sometimes in the manga and anime as well. My observation when it comes to writing dialogue for Juvia, is let your fingers make that decision. It doesn't make **_**that**_** much of a difference.**

**Trivia, Geier is German for "vulture" for those who don't know (which is to say my fellow Americans).**

**Be sure to review.**


	41. A Dragon's Mate

_**A Dragon's Mate**_

Frieze whirled around, looking down the tunnel, clenching his teeth in frustration.

"My lord…," one cultist began.

"Don't stop!" Frieze snapped angrily, "I'll deal with the boy!" He then leapt to the ground, as he remove this armor. The right side of his chest was covered with red tattoos, and the left blue. They then came together into a red and blue spiral in the center of his chest. Frieze then held up his arms, the right with the same red tattoos, and the left with the same blue ones. On the palm of his respective hands were circles of the respective colors.

Red and blue light appeared in the center of the spiral, before traveling down the circles onto his palms, creating orbs of heat and cold respectively.

"Alright, show me what you can do, Salamander!" Frieze hissed, as he got ready to fight.

**(with Elfman and the girls)**

Elfman and the girls watched as the glow of Natsu's fire disappeared down the tunnel.

"That guy never ceases to amaze me," Levy says.

"He's a man! He must always impress!"

"Well, let's just not get in his way, knowing Natsu he could very much destroy this entire mountain," Cana said.

**(with Wendy)**

"Alright, I think its this way," Carla said, pointing. She and Wendy were making their way back to where they hoped was the entrance. Unfortunately, that was proving difficult, seeing as the whole thing seemed to be some kind of labyrinth.

"What do you think, Erza?" Wendy asked. Erza's eyes flashed in agreement.

"That way it is," Wendy said. Carla looked at Wendy briefly as they moved down the hall. Did she not fully trust her? The cat let her memories slide back to her. Memories of home….

"Wendy…" Carla couldn't finish, as Wendy suddenly pulled her down, and hid behind a rock.

"What is it?"

"Shhh!" Wendy said, holding her finger to her lips. The two then looked down the tunnel. A faint slithering sound could be heard. From around the corner, a watery hand reached around, as Juvia, still in her Water Hydra form slithered forward. _Juvia?_ Wendy thought.

The water woman scanned the area, as did the multiple heads. Wendy and Carla then noticed that floating in Juvia's abdomen were three figures. Upon looking closer, it was noticed that one of them was Gray. _She ate them?_ Juvia then turned, and started slithering down the tunnel, as Wendy watched her.

"What happened to her?" she whispered.

"I have no idea," Carla said, "But she is clearly not in her right mind. We should…" Wendy was already moving down the hall, after Juvia.

"Wendy!" Carla hissed, as she fluttered after her.

**(with Gray)**

Gray lay floating, unconscious in Juvia's belly. After devouring them, the Water Hydra was slowly siphoning off his magic power, as it was doing to Geier and Agora. As a result of that, Gray's mind seemed… connected.

_(in the mental world)_

_Gray was floating in a blue void, having appeared in their right after Juvia swallowed him. Not far away, was Juvia, also floating in the void, but she was surrounded in a blue bubble._

"_Juvia!" he called for the umpteenth time. He had stopped counting, considering how many times he had tried. _

"_Come on! You've got to snap out of it!" He tried moving over to her, but it was like he was swimming through molasses. Eventually, he finally reached her, and laid his hands against the bubble._

"_I know you're in there somewhere!" Gray said, "And I know you're stronger than this creature! Fight it!" Juvia remained still in her watery prison. Gray clenched his teeth._

"_You're telling me that after all you've done, you're throwing in the towel now?" he said, "Damn it! You're not allowed to do this!" He then pushed against the bubble. All this time, Gray had rejected Juvia's advances. But he was an honest man, and he wasn't going to lie on this: he sort of liked Juvia._

_Despite all his rejections of her, Gray wasn't stupid. Juvia was a sweet, loyal woman, all features Gray liked, not to mention that she was beautiful. And Gray would be a complete idiot to not know a good woman when he saw her. The primary reason that he'd been rejecting her was out of personal pride, and to maintain his own image. But now, when the chips were down…._

"_Juvia," he said softly, as he put his forehead against the bubble, "I know you can hear me. I just want to let you know that I don't hate you. I don't even dislike you. I know that my behavior towards you might be different, but I don't. I…."_

"_I actually kind of like you," he admitted. For a brief instance, it seemed that Juvia's face twitched._

"_Its not that I dislike you, its just that I'm…," Gray clenched his teeth, "I'm scared. I'm a coward. I'm afraid of such a commitment. You're not the one with the problem, I am." Suddenly, Gray could begin to feel his hands slip through the barrier, very slowly._

_(in the real world)_

Wendy and Carla had been following Juvia as she slithered down the halls, hiding in the shadows. The eyes of the hydra gave her near 360 degree view of her area, but by sticking to the shadows, the two managed to avoid her gaze. Suddenly, the hydra abruptly stopped, to the girls' surprise.

_(in the mental world)_

_Gray continued to slowly push through towards Juvia._

"_You know I was actually kind of jealous of Natsu," he admitted, "Because he got a girl before I did. I always figured I needed to make an effort to find a girl to my own. But I never actually needed to. A girl of my own was always close by." He then burst through the water bubble, as he threw his arms around Juvia._

"_Come back to us!" Gray demanded, "Come back to me!"_

_(in the real world)_

The hydra began to froze, before completing shattering. Geier and Agora both fell to the ground, defeated.

"Juvia!" Wendy cried. However, in a light mist, she could see a figure, embracing another.

"Gray?" Gray didn't look up, as he held the unconscious Juvia close.

"I'm sorry," he muttered.

**(with Happy)**

Happy continued to flutter around the halls, making no progress in finding Lucy. He had heard it when Natsu was freed, so he was also looking for him. Turns out, he wouldn't need to.

The cat barely had time to fly out of the way when Natsu blasted past him.

"Natsu!" Happy called, "Wait up!" He then flew after his partner.

**(with Frieze)**

Frieze continued to wait for Natsu, ready to fight. Eventually, he began to notice a very faint glow in the tunnel. Not missing a beat, Frieze thrust out of his hand, sending out a massive stream of cold magic from his palm, and into the tunnel.

"Now freeze!" he snapped. However, there was an explosion of fire, as Natsu emerged from the energy, his Dragon's Eye glowing. His chest glowing, he released his fire. Frieze held up his hand, as the fire was extinguished, but he could still feel an intense heat from it. That shouldn't be the case.

Natsu looked up, and saw Lucy floating.

"Lucy!" he cried. He noticed she was now noticeably pregnant. Natsu glared at Frieze.

"What did you do to her?" he demanded. Frieze cracked his neck, as his blue tattoos glowed.

"I'm 'assisting' her in the pregnancy," he answered. Natsu got so angry that the air around him steamed. Threatening his girlfriend was bad enough, but Frieze was also threatening his child. He didn't say anything, but a reptilian growl slithered out of his body. Natsu put his hands together, before stretching one of them back, forming what almost looked like a sling of fire.

"Fire Dragon's Arrow!" A bolt of fire then struck down at Frieze, who held up his arms. The fire consumed him, but Natsu was surprised to see him practically unscathed.

"You can't burn me!" Frieze declared, as he formed an orb of cold energy, and threw it at Natsu. The orb then multiplied into ten more, as they encircled him.

"Ring of Ice!" The orbs then exploded into cold energy, creating a tower of ice where Natsu was. However, it soon exploded in a blast of fire, as Natsu emerged, his fire wings active. He then swooped down at Frieze, and breathed his fire. However, just liked last time, it didn't do a thing.

"How're you doing that?!" Natsu demanded.

"I wield Temperature Magic," Frieze explained, "Both hot and cold are at my beck and call. Even the heat of your fire."

"Then try this fire!" Natsu said, as he flapped his wings at Frieze, sending a wave of flames at his enemy. Frieze flicked his wrist at the wave, as the flames got snuffed out, but again, he could feel the heat. _How did his flames became so much hotter?_ he thought. After that, Natsu dove down towards him. He breathed out more fire, which Frieze instead opted to dodge. He then clenched his fist, as the air around Natsu froze into large spears. However, when they came down, on him, the spears were rather promptly melted down.

"Is that it!" Natsu said, as he swooped back towards Frieze.

As the two mages dueled, Happy flew into the chamber, as he looked over the ritual, it hadn't stopped. Natsu was so focused on destroying Frieze, he hadn't thought of to stop the ritual. Deciding to focus on Lucy, Happy flew up to where she was.

"Lucy!" he called, "Snap out of it!" Lucy remained in her trance as she hovered in the air.

"Come on!" Happy said, as he grabbed her face, and slapped her slightly, "You've gotta wake up!"

Natsu breathed out another massive stream of fire. Frieze leapt out of the way, as he picked up a rock and threw it at Natsu. His red tattoos then glowed, as the rock melted. The blue tattoos then lit up as well, as the lava hardened, forming some sort of encasing over Natsu's face. In the time it took Natsu to rip it off his face, he was struck with one of Frieze's cold blast, sending him flying into the wall. He then brought his hands together, creating a swirling vortex of hot and cold.

"Burning Chill!" He then blasted that combined energy at Natsu. The blast consumed the Dragon Slayer, as it blew a hole in the wall.

"Natsu!" Happy cried. Frieze cackled.

"You're weak, Salamander!" he said, "You aren't worthy of having so much powerful magic! But your child will be strong, and it will destroy all my enemies! Nothing will stand in my way for power! And the child will be the key to it all!" However, the rock exploded, as Frieze was taken aback by the sudden burst of heat. Suddenly, a shadow fell over him. Frieze looked up, and saw a pair of wings blocking out the light. Natsu had assumed his Dragon Aspect.

The magical aura that Frieze could feel was overwhelming. And the heat was beyond immense. His Temperature Magic meant that Frieze was very sensitive to hot and cold, and this heat felt greater than any he had ever fault before.

Natsu could feel the power of Dragon Aspect flowing through him, but he also could feel it draining away. He knew that he could only use this form for a brief time, and after that….

"Now you burn!" Natsu roared, as he inhaled.

"You will never burn me!" Frieze proclaimed, as he held up his hands, his tattoos glowing. Natsu then released a massive stream of fire at Frieze, as Frieze tried to extinguish it with the cold. But nothing happened.

"What?!" Frieze snapped as the fire was soon upon him, "Why isn't the fire being extinguished?!" He then saw an image in the flames. A massive serpentine form with wings, and glowing eyes.

"Is this… dragon fire?" Frieze muttered, before letting out a tremendous scream. The screams were seared away by the fire, as was his flesh.

Within in an instant, Frieze simply didn't exist. The fire had completely incinerated him. Steam leaked out of Natsu's mouth as he floated to the ground, as he lost his draconic features. He then glanced at the ritual performers, who all panicked, and scattered. The statues then ceased to glow, as Lucy also stopped glowing. Happy caught her before she started to fall.

**(with Gray, Wendy, and Juvia)**

Wendy was healing Juvia, with Gray and Carla by her side. Carla then noticed Erza glowing, before starting to crack slightly.

"Erza!" she cried. However, the glow consumed everyone, and when it faded, it showed the red head lying on the floor.

"Erza?" Wendy asked. The re-quip mage weakly leaned up, as she looked at her guild mates.

"Well that was unpleasant," Erza muttered.

**(with Natsu)**

"Lucy!" Natsu called, as Happy brought her down. He caught her, and held her close. Lucy then stirred as she slowly opened her eyes, and looked up at Natsu.

"I know you'd come," she whispered.

**(sometime later)**

"So she's completely okay, right?" Natsu asked.

"For the hundredth time, yes," Porlyusica answered.

"Natsu, she probably knows what she's talking about," Lucy said, as she rubbed her now prominent stomach. After the fiasco with Frieze, the group had come back to Fairy Tail, and Lucy was taken to the alchemist to ensure she was in good health.

"I have heard about that ritual being performed," Porlyusica explained, "It doesn't harm the mother or the child. You're baby should be perfectly healthy when its born." Natsu let out a sigh of relief at that.

"No if you don't mind, you are no longer in need of my help, no please depart," Porlyusica instructed. Not inclined to stay, the couple headed back out.

**(at Fairy Tail)**

"So what was it like being a staff?" Wendy asked.

"Not a good experience," Erza answered, "I could still see and hear, but I couldn't move. It was like I was imprisoned in my own body."

"That sounds scary," Happy said.

"I would certainly not recommend it," Erza answered. Meanwhile, Evergreen leaned over towards Cana.

"Mind telling me what's up with them?" she asked, pointing. Gray and Juvia were sitting together, with Juvia snuggled up against Gray. But Gray wasn't pushing her away like he normally was. Much to the contrary, he pulled her closer, and pressed his forehead against her own.

"Gray finally broke," Cana answered, "Don't ask me how, but Juvia did it, but she did."

"We're back!" Natsu announced, as he and Lucy came in. Lucy waved at everyone. Kinana quickly ran over to them, and looked at Lucy's belly.

"You're baby's going to come real soon, right?" she asked.

"Just another month or so, probably," Lucy answered, as she rubbed her stomach, "I'm actually kind of excited, being a mother even sooner than I thought."

"I'm going to be a dad soon, too!" Natsu said, throwing his arm around Lucy's shoulder.

"I can't wait to have a child too!" Juvia said, as she looked at Gray.

"Not yet," Gray said, as he turned slightly red, "Let's take it slow."

"Of course!" Juvia said happily, "Juvia is just so happy to finally be with Gray!" She grabbed Gray's arm to illustrate her point. Gray smiled as well.

"Hey everyone!" Warren said as he burst in. Everyone looked over at him.

"Gildarts is back!"

**Note: The notion of Natsu now being able to activate Dragon Aspect is that he can only achieve that form when he's in a state of extreme rage and desperation. Its not as if he can turn it on and off like nothing.**

**Next arc will be the Edolas arc. I'd love to hear some suggestions on how to differentiate it from canon.**


	42. Gildarts

_**Gildarts**_

"Gildarts is back?" Natsu asked excitedly.

"Damn, its been some time," Gray said.

"Three years I think," Erza said.

"Gildarts?" Wendy asked.

"I haven't met him, myself," Lucy said, "But from what I hear, he's the strongest mage in the entire guild." The two looked over the guild, who were all cheering excitedly at the word that he was coming back. What Lucy didn't notice was Cana sitting the background, staring at her alcohol.

"Wow, you'd think that someone just told the guild they won the lottery," Lucy said.

"This guild is simply outrageous," Carla said.

"Well, we all have good reason to be so excited," Mirajane explained, "It has been three years since we last saw him."

"Three years?" Lucy asked, "What has he been doing?"

"Well, obviously he's S-Class, so he goes on the like jobs," Mira further explained, "But he's also qualified for SS-Class jobs. Not even Erza, Mystogan, or myself were allowed to do those."

"Wow, that's pretty impressive," Wendy commented.

"I ain't finished, yet," Mira said with a sly grin, "Gildarts has been given a ten year job."

"A ten year job?" Lucy asked.

"A ten year job. No one's ever completed those," Mirajane said, "But that' not it. What he did was a _hundred year_ job."

"A hundred year job!" Wendy and Lucy asked in surprise.

**(in Magnolia)**

"**Prepare for Gildarts shift!"** the town loudspeakers announced**, "Prepare for Gildarts shift!"**

The townspeople began to rapidly move around, as the town itself began to shift. Slowly but surely, the town seemed to be split straight in half.

**(at Fairy Tail)**

"They divided the entire town!" Lucy said.

"Well, Gildarts is rather absent minded," Mirajane said, "And he uses a magic that destroys everything he touches. If left to himself, he'll probably destroy more than a few houses."

"This is amazing!" Wendy said.

"Insofar as complete idiocy is amazing," Carla muttered. From the distance, appeared a guy in a black cloak strolling down towards the guild hall.

"There he is!" Natsu said.

A tall man with slicked back orange hair, some slight stubble about his face, wearing a black tattered cloak moseyed into the guild hall. He looked… tired.

"Gildarts! Fight me!" Natsu declared.

"You're about to become a dad, and that's the first thing you think about saying to him?" Elfman asked.

"Welcome home, Gildarts!" Mirajane said with her typical sweet grin. _So this is the strongest man in Fairy Tail?_ Lucy thought. Gildarts glanced at Mirajane.

"Excuse me," he said, "I'm looking for a mage guild called Fairy Tail. Its supposed to be around here somewhere."

"You're standing in it!" Mirajane said, "Its me, Mirajane!"

"Mira?" Gildarts said cocking his head, "Mira?" He then smiled big as he looked around.

"You look so different! Everything looks different!" he said. _Well this guy clearly has the mindset of a Fairy Tail mage._

"Gildarts! I said fight me!" Natsu declared as he charged Gildarts.

"Oh, hey Natsu!" Gildarts said as Natsu leapt up at him. With a flick of his wrist, Gildarts sent Natsu flying into the ceiling.

"I'm too tired to have a spar now, maybe later," Gildarts said casually.

"Natsu!" Lucy said. However Natsu just chucked.

"Strong as ever, eh?" he said.

"Don't know why he thought it would work this time," Gray said, "He can get as many power-ups as possible, but he won't ever beat Gildarts."

"He's a real man!" Elfman said. Gildarts looked over the hall.

"Well, this place sure has changed," he said with a smile, "Not that I"m complaining."

"Gildarts," Makarov called.

"Ah! Master! Great to see you!"

"So how did the mission go?" Makarov inquired seriously. Gildarts burst out laughing. Makarov sighed.

"Yeah, I couldn't do squat," Gildarts said. Everyone in the guild balked in surprise at that.

"Gildarts failed a quest?" Levy asked. _Even the strongest mage in the guild couldn't do a quest like that?_ Lucy thought.

"That's a pity," Makarov said.

"Sorry about disappointing you."

"Don't be, I'm just thankful that you came back in one piece," Makarov said, "You're the first."

"Well, I'm heading back," Gildarts said, "I need to take a break." He then glanced up at Natsu, who was still trying to pry himself from the ceiling.

"Hey Natsu! Come over soon, I got something for you!" he said. Natsu smiled bright at that. With that, Gildarts headed out. Unfortunately, he decided to make his own exit by walking through the wall, much to the chagrin of everyone at the guild.

Eventually Natsu finally managed to drop to the ground, as Lucy came over to him.

"You okay?" she asked.

"I'm better than ever!" Natsu declared, smiling big.

**(later, somewhere in Magnolia)**

"I wonder what he has?" Natsu asked, "Maybe it some kind rare fire."

"Maybe its a new kind of fish!" Happy said.

"Tell me again why we had to come with you," Carla said, frowning, as she floated beside Wendy. The two of them and Lucy both came under Natsu's insistence.

"Because I wanted Gildarts to meet my girlfriend and my little sister!" Natsu said smiling.

"I'm actually excited to meet him," Wendy said, "He seems really interested."

"I also can't wait to tell him that I'm about to be a dad!" Natsu said, as he wrapped one arm around Lucy's shoulder, and putting his free hand on her stomach. Lucy smiled back at him, putting her hand over his.

"I want him to meet you, Carla!" Happy said, as he fluttered over to the white cat, who just huffed. Eventually the group came up to Gildarts' place, as Natsu threw open the door.

"Yo, Gildarts!" he yelled.

"Thanks for inviting us!" Happy said.

"Natsu! Happy!" Gildarts said, "And you brought some girls." Lucy and Wendy both waved. Gildarts then looked again.

"Is that a girl Happy?" he asked in surprise.

"Hardly," Carla answered with a huff.

"This is Wendy, she's my little sister!" Natsu said, as he pulled Wendy close to him.

"Hello!" Wendy said as she briefly bowed.

"Little sister?" Gildarts asked, "You have a sister?"

"Its a long story," Wendy said, But after a lot happened, Natsu sort of adopted me."

"She's a Dragon Slayer too!" Natsu said proudly.

"Is that so?"

"She's the Sky Dragon Slayer!"

"Well, welcome to the family," Gildarts said with a smile.

"And this is Carla."

"Good day," Carla said with a brief nod.

"Another flying talking cat," Gildarts said, with a smile, "That's certainly a rarity."

"And this is Lucy," Natsu said, as he picked said blonde up bridal style, "She's my girlfriend!" Lucy waved and smiled.

"You've got a girlfriend?" Gildarts asked, before grinning, "So things didn't work out with Lisanna?" Natsu's smile disintegrated, as he set Lucy down.

"Lisanna died," he said, as he looked down. Gildarts recoiled back in surprise at that.

"She's dead?" he asked, "So that's why Mira was like that. I'm so sorry, I should've been here. Maybe then…"

"Its okay," Natsu said, as he continued to stare at the ground, "It wasn't anyone's fault." Lucy grasped Natsu's hand.

"Natsu," she whispered. Natsu smiled at her, and squeezed her hand. Gildarts noticed that, and chuckled lightly.

"I see this fine young woman is apparently expecting a little bundle of joy," he said, "Am I correct in assuming that you're the dad?" Natsu's smile came back bigger than ever.

"Yep!" he said proudly, "I'm going to be a dad!"

"Well, congratulations," Gildarts said, "I bet Igneel would be proud. And that's why I had you come here." He then took a breath.

"I met a dragon." The air turned completely still, as everyone stared at Gildarts.

"You met a dragon?" Natsu asked.

"I know what you're thinking," Gildarts said, "And it wasn't red."

"Was it white?" Wendy asked, "That was what the dragon who raised me, Grandeeney, looked like."

"It was black," Gildarts said, "I met it on Zonia Mountain. It was thanks to it that I'm here now." Natsu quickly turned and headed out the door.

"Natsu!" Lucy and Happy called.

"What do you think you're doing?" Gildarts asked.

"I'm going to go ask it about Igneel and Grandeeney!" Natsu said, "It should know where they are!"

"The dragon is probably long gone," Gildarts said, "Its probably flying all over the continent. Strike that, all over the world."

"But there might be something!"

"Natsu!" Gildarts said sternly. Natsu was suddenly quiet as Gildarts rose to his feet, and pulled open his cloak. Everyone stared in surprise. Half of Gildarts' body seemed to have been destroyed, including his arm and leg.

"The master was wrong when he said I came back in one piece, because I didn't," he explained, "One instant I was intact, the next I was minus my left leg, my left arm, and an entire organ. I don't know about Igneel or Grandeeney, but this dragon is no friend of humans. Dragon Slayer or not, no human can beat it."

"But…," Natsu said, "But I'm supposed to be able to kill dragons! I…."

"Natsu," Lucy said, as she took his face, and turned it to look at her, "You don't have anything to prove. Don't go running off into your death like that." Natsu touched Lucy's hand, as he clenched his teeth.

"Big brother," Wendy said, as she came up to him, "I don't think we should go. You're strong, but…" She didn't know what to say after that. Suddenly, she felt a hand on her head. When Wendy looked up, she saw her adoptive brother smiling down on her.

"Well, I can't leave with you guys around me, can I?" he asked.

"Thanks Natsu!" Happy said as he hugged his partner's leg. Carla watched in silence at the group hug. _Oh you fool_ she thought sadly, looking at Happy.

**Note: I had to So now Gildarts is in the story. Next chapter should kick the Edolas arc off. I'm hoping to make it at least somewhat unique to canon. I've got some ideas, but I'm not so sure about some of them.**

**Of course considering Heartfillia's pregnancy by Dragneel, that will lead to some interesting dynamics between Dragion and Ashley. I'm looking for writing that, and I imagine you're looking forward to reading it. Something I'm doing is reading the manga as I'm writing this, while add the appropriate changes, but I always want more.**

**Be sure to review.**


	43. Earthland

_**Earthland**_

"So both your and Natsu's dragons disappeared on seventh of July in the year 777?" Lucy asked.

"That's the long and the short of it," Wendy answered.

"That's a lot of sevens," Lucy said, "Now that you mention, I think Gajeel's dragon disappeared then as well."

"I know, its kind of weird," Wendy said.

"Its obviously not a coincidence," Carla said, "Something surely is of significance."

"Maybe there was some dragon convention?" Lucy asked.

"You can sure say some weird things," Wendy said with a chuckle.

"I think Natsu's rubbing off on me," Lucy said, before looking down and touching her stomach, "I'm kind of hoping the kid takes after me, not Natsu. I don't think I can take _two_ pyro-maniacs at home." Meanwhile, the said father was snoring against a nearby pillar. Next to him, Happy was trying a bow onto a fish, as if it were a gift.

"Hey Carla!" Happy called as he trotted up to the female cat, "I caught a fish, I wanted you to have it!" He then held out the fish to Carla.

"No," she said bluntly, "I don't like fish."

"Okay," Happy said, still smiling, "Then what do you like? I can…"

"Will you just shut up!" Carla snapped, "And just stay away from me!" That caught the attention of both Wendy and Lucy who looked up in surprised.

"Carla!" Wendy scolded. With a "hmph" Carla walked away.

"Look I know she's rather withdrawn, but that was just mean," Lucy said, before looking down at Happy, "Are you okay, little guy?" Happy just stared at the ground in dejection.

"Carla!" Wendy called, "That was too mean! Apologize to Happy!" Carla kept walking, as she clenched her paws. _"Happy"?_ she thought _What's the point of having a name like that?_

"Wait!" Happy called, as he ran after her.

"Carla's always been cold to Happy, but never to this extent," Lucy said, "Nothing happened during the battle with Frieze, right?"

"No," Wendy said, "I don't know why she's acting like this."

**(in Magnolia)**

"Carla!" Happy called, as he ran after Carla, still holding onto the fish. Said white cat frowned over her shoulder.

"How many times do I have to tell you leave alone?" she asked.

"Did… did I do something wrong?" Happy asked weakly.

"Of course not," Carla said. Happy's eyes were somewhat watery, as he stared at the ground. Carla let out a sigh.

"Look, you can't protect Natsu," she said, as Happy looked up in surprise, as she continued, "But no matter the cost, I will protect Wendy!" With that, Carla continued walking away.

"But… but I can protect Natsu!" Happy called, "He says I can!"

"No you can't," Carla answered, "You don't even know who you are." Happy just stared aft her. _Who I am?_ he thought_ I'm… I'm Happy… aren't i?_ He then heard someone coming, as he looked behind him. Gajeel was walking by, with his face covered in marks that looked suspiciously like cat claws.

"Don't ask," he said, as he left.

**(somewhere else in Magnolia)**

In almost an instant, it began pouring rain, with clouds that were almost pitch black. Carla was still walking through the rain, staring at the ground.

"Carla!" Wendy called as she ran over to her.

"Wendy!" Carla said, "Why don't you have an umbrella? You could get sick."

"So could you," Wendy said, before bending down and saying sternly, "Carla, we're still new members. We need to get along with everyone."

"That's not important," Carla said, "You're here. That's all I need."

"That's what you always say!" Wendy said, "You need…" However her keen dragon hearing caught something approaching. She and Carla turn,d and saw a figure walking in their direction. He was dressed in a black cloak, with a mask on his face. It was Mystogan. He came up to the girls, looking down on them.

"When I heard you joined the guild, I was quite surprised," he said.

"Wait, that voice," Wendy said. Mystogan then pulled off his mask, revealing his face.

"But I was also quite Happy," he said, showing his face in full.

"Jellal!" Wendy said in surprise.

"Wait! Why are you here? Weren't you arrested?" Carla asked, also shocked.

"No, that wasn't me," Mystogan answered, "I know I looked exactly like him, but I'm not. I am Mystogan, I'm also a mage of Fairy Tail. But when we first met seven years ago, I don't really know anything about this world, so I let myself been known as 'Jellal'." _This world?_ Carla thought. Wendy stared in surprise as she began to tear up.

"So… you're the Jellal," she said slowly, "From all those years ago?" She then started to cry

"I've wanted to see you again for so long," she said softly.

"I'm sorry I couldn't see you sooner," Mystogan said as Wendy sobbed, "But we can't have a happy reunion, I'm afraid. You have to leave the town!" Wendy and Carla looked up in surprise as Mystogan doubled over.

"I let the Anima grow," he said, "I can't surpress it anymore. Soon Magnolia will get consumed." Meanwhile, the clouds began to swirl in the sky, as if being sucked into a void.

"And it means everyone in the town will die."

**(at Fairy Tail)**

"This rain is so annoying," Lucy said, "We can't do any missions like this."

"Yeah, its kind of a pain," Cana agreed.

"Just for the record, this isn't Juvia's doing," Juvia spoke up.

No one's blaming you," Gray said, putting a hand on her shoulder. He then looked over his shoulder at the still sleeping Natsu.

"Hey, I just got an idea!"

**(with Wendy)**

The moment that sunk in, Wendy didn't miss a beat, as she started running back towards the guild.

"I have to warn everyone!" she declared.

"Wendy!" Carla called.

"You can't go! You won't make it out of town!" Mystogan said.

"I don't care!" Wendy answered, "I'm part of Fairy Tail! I've got to save my friends and my brother!" As she ran down the road, Mystogan clenched his teeth, before reaching into his cloak, and pulling out a couple small balls. He held them out to Carla.

"Just in case, hold onto these!" he said. Carla, not sure how to answer, took them.

**(at Fairy Tail)**

"Ah, I can see why Juvia and Lucy like hanging with their men, nothing like hanging with your beau in a rainy day," Cana said as she hugged a barrel.

"Just leave some of your 'beau' for the rest of us," Mirajane said as she put on her coat.

"Wait, don't tell me you're going out in this weather," Cana said, looking back at her friend.

"Just to the church," Mira answered, before looking to her brother, "Coming Elfman?"

"Yeah, I'm right began," Elfman answered, "I was just lecturing Jet and Droy about being men, seeing as Levy had to step up and save _them_ while they were all tied up."

"You're not going to get over that are you?" Droy asked.

"Isn't that a given?" Jet responded.

"They're going to the church on a day like this?" Lucy asked, looking at the Strauss siblings.

"Well, it is the anniversary of Lisanna's death," Cana said.

"Lisanna? Oh yeah," Lucy said, "She was the youngest, right?"

"Indeed," Levy answer sadly, "She died two years ago today. Every year, Elfman and Mira head to the church."

"It was hard on Natsu too," Cana said, "But at least he has you now, You and you're kid." Lucy smiled, as she looked at her sleeping man. He now had drawings all over his face, courtesy of Gray.

"So my Natsu had a girl back in the day, eh?" she asked, touching her stomach, "Maybe if our baby is a girl, we can call her Lisanna."

Meanwhile, Juvia and Gray were sitting next to each other, with Juvia cuddled up next to the Ice Mage, only this time, Gray wasn't protesting. Much to the contrary, he was snuggling against her as well. He looked down at Juvia, who was smiling so bright it could very possibly have cleared the skies.

"What's that smile, about?" Gray asked with his own.

"I'm just so happy to finally be with you," Juvia answered, not breaking her smile. Gray blushed at how cute she was smiling. _How could I have been such an idiot?_ he said _She's so cute!_

"Maybe our future child can be with Natsu and Lucy's child?" Juvia suggested. Gray flushed red at that.

"We just got together!" he said, before pausing, "And I don't think I'd ever let my kid be with that flame brain's kid!" Bisca and Alzack watched Juvia and Gray and Natsu and Lucy.

_Its so easy for Lucy and Juvia_ Bisca thought_ How do they do it?_

_Maybe I should ask Natsu and Gray how they got Lucy and Juvia like that_ Alzack though. The two then looked at each other, before both flushed red.

"So how about this rain?" Bisca asked.

"I thought only Juvia could make it rain like this," Alzack said. The awkwardness was so thick you could cut it with a knife.

"You know you too have been getting along quite well as of late," Erza said as she walked past them, "Keep those moments close. I speak from experience when I say that they won't come all the time." The gunslingers continued to glow pink, as Erza walked on.

"Gah!" Lucy said, as she lay against the table, "Why won't something happen?"

"Its the rain, its kind of limiting," Levy said.

"I wouldn't be opposed to giving birth here and now," Lucy said, "Just for something to happen!"

**(with Wendy)**

Wendy stumbled, landing face fist on the wet pavement. As she was getting up, she could sense a disturbance in the air. She looked up, and saw a massive vortex starting form. A vortex so large, it encompassed the entire town. Wendy quickly got back up, and ran up to the guild

"Everyone!" Wendy called, "We need to get out of here! The sky is…" She was silenced as the buildings all over the town seemed to twist up towards the vortex, as a massive torrent swirled up into the sky. In an instant, there was nothing left but white dust.

For what seemed like an eternity, Wendy just stared at the empty space.

"The guild… the town… disappeared," she whispered, before calling out, "Is anyone here! Is there anyone left!" There was no answer. Wendy began to tear up.

"Someone… please answer," she said softly as she fell to her knees, "I don't want to be alone again." With a grunt, someone erupted out of the dust. It turns out to be Natsu.

"Eh?" he said, "What happened?" Wendy looked up at him briefly.

"Big brother!" she cried, as she threw her arms around Natsu, sobbing in tears, "I'm not alone!" Natsu held her as she cried, looking around.

"What happened, where is everyone?" he asked. Wendy looked up, still in his arms.

"Everyone's gone," she said softly, "They all disappeared into a hole in the sky." Natsu stared in surprise. He then looked around again, and an expression of pure panic descended on his face.

"LUCY!" he cried, "LUCY!" He then ran around, looking for his pregnant girlfriend. Wendy stared at the ground. She couldn't believe this had happened.

"Were we the only ones to be left behind?" she asked softly, "Because we're Dragon Slayers."

"That's correct," Carla said as she fluttered up.

"Carla! You're alright!" Wendy said, smiling again.

"In a physical sense, yes," Carla answer solemnly, "We're lucky for your draconic powers. You two remained here."

"Screw us!" Natsu said angrily, "What about the others! What about Lucy!"

"They were allowed up by the Anima," Carla said, pointing up, "To the world beyond this one. Edolas."

"Edolas!" Natsu said, "Where's that! I'm going to and turn them to ash!"

"Calm down, big brother!" Wendy said, pulling Natsu's arm, before looking at Carla, "Why do you know so much about all of this?" Instead of getting Carla's answer, she got an answer from a different flying cat.

"Natsu!" Happy said, as he flew into Natsu's arms, "Where's the town?"

"Some place in Edolas," Natsu answered, as he glared up at the sky, "We're going to go and kick their asses!"

"I'm from Edolas," Carla explained, "As is the tom cat." Somehow the area became even more silent, as everyone stared at Carla.

"We're the reason, the town disappeared," she explained, "Let me explain. Edolas is a world that exists separate of this one. For them, magic is a finite resource. So their starting to lose it. To prevent that, the ruler came up with a means to absorb magic from our world, Earthland. Said magic is Anima, which we have to thank for all of this. Six years ago, Anima started opening all around Earthland, but it wasn't enough. This Anima was so large that it swallowed up the whole town."

"So they took the town to steal the guild's magic?" Wendy asked.

"In a nutshell."

"Those bastards!" Natsu said, as he spat a fireball into the sky, "Give back my girl and my kid!"

"So this is my fault?" Happy asked slowly.

"Not directly, but still," Carla answered.

"Wait, how can you be from Edolas, I hatched you from an egg here!" Wendy said.

"Yeah! I did the same with Happy!" Natsu chimed in.

"Well we were both born and raised in this world, but the knowledge of Edolas was directly inserted into our minds. We should've known everything now." Happy stared at the ground at this.

"Well that's it," Carla said, "This is all our fault."

"Carla, what's the mission?" Happy asked softly, "I want to know who I am."

"Why don't you remember yourself, stupid tomcat!" Carla snapped. Happy's eyes returned to the ground. Natsu took a breath, as his chest lit up.

"Alright, we've got the stories straight, now we need to take action," he said.

"No way are things straightened out!" Carla yelled, but Natsu paid her no heed.

"Everyone's in this Edolas place, right?" Natsu asked, as he looked up at the sky, "Might as well head in that direction to save them."

"Aye!" Happy said, "We should save everyone!"

"They're there, right Carla?" Wendy asked.

"They should be there," Carla answered, "Whether they can be saved is another thing. We may not be able to get out, either."

"Well I don't really care about that," Natsu said, "My pregnant girlfriend is there, as is the rest of my family, save for you guys and Igneel. As far as I'm concerned, this place doesn't got anything for me anymore."

"I second that!" Wendy said.

"Aye!" Carla clenched her paws, as she thought that over.

"As a member of Fairy Tail, I'm obligated by my conscience to do something," she said, "But bare a few things in mind. First of all, we need to disguise ourselves. We can't let ourselves get caught."

"Easy enough," Natsu said.

"Second, the tomcat must not ask about our mission."

"Aye," Happy said softly.

"Third. Since I'm the only one who knows anything about Edolas, so I'll be the navigator. And lastly, if the tomcat or I do anything to compromise our goal, you must execute us then and there." Wendy and Natsu both stared at her, but didn't say anything.

"I wouldn't betray anyone," Happy said, but Carla ignored him.

"Let's go!" she said, as she then whisked Wendy up. Happy quick did the same with Natsu.

"We're going to need our wings to get through the Anima!" Carla explained, "We'll force our way through the remnants!" With that, the group soared into the sky, into the vortex.

**Note: Alright, let's kick off Edolas now. I've actually come up with one idea as to what to do, but I won't spoil it for you. You're going to have to wait, I'm afraid.**

**And yes, Juvia and Gray are now a couple, though nowhere near to what Natsu and Lucy are. I hope to develop it further for them as things go.**

**Be sure to review.**


	44. Edolas

_**Edolas**_

In a grand flash of light, everything seem to disappear, before the group was spat into the air. The sight that greeted them defied words.

"Holy crap!" Save for those words Natsu spoke perhaps. Edolas was a sight to behold. Islands that floated in the sky, with swirling torrents of water streaming through them. That plants were utterly bizarre, baring a closer resemblance to animals instead of known plants. The "birds" looked more like flying fish, as they dove in and out of the flying rivers. There were no comparisons that could be drawn to Earthland, it as just too fantastic.

"So this is where I'm from?" Happy murmured, "It really is different."

"This place is amazing!" Natsu said.

"Its as if we truly have stepped into another world," Wendy commented.

"Well, that is exactly what we did," Carla said. In all the awed obversation, the group initially failed to notice an important detail. That being the cats' wings promptly disappeared. The group plummeted to the ground, but were fortunate enough to land in some strange leafy plant.

"GAH!" Natsu grunted as he looked up, "What happened?"

"Didn't I make myself clear?" Carla asked, "Magic is of limited quantity in Edolas. You can't go around shooting fire everywhere you go."

"Then how're we going to find Lucy if we don't have our magic?" Natsu asked.

"And find the others!" Happy piped up.

"We can make do without our magic," Carla said as she hopped to the ground.

"Now that you mention it," Wendy said, "I do feel kind of… empty."

"We can't fly?" Happy whined, "This place sucks."

"Deal with it, tomcat," Carla said bluntly. _I feel like I was supposed to give them something_ she thought_ But it eludes me._ Wendy's tongue darted out of her mouth, and licked the air.

"The air here tastes kind of weird," she said. That gave Natsu an idea.

"Hey! Let's start a fire!" he said, "Maybe if I eat some of the fire here, I can get my magic back! And maybe it will taste weird too!" He was silenced when he was hit in the head by a branch by Carla.

"Will you keep focused!" she snapped, " We'll figure out what to do about or magic later, but for now, we need to find some way to disguise ourselves."

"Oh, well that's easy enough," Natsu answered with a grin.

"Hardly, we don't have anything to wear in replacement," Carla responded.

"You kidding? There's stuff all around us!"

A couple of minutes later, the group was draped in leaves of the various plants, much toothier embarrassment and/or discomfort. That, of course, excluded Natsu, who seemed perfectly content in the get up he had on, consisting of massive leaves covering his body.

"You know, when I said disguises, this isn't even remotely what I meant," Carla grumbled as the group walked on.

"What's wrong with them?" Natsu asked, "We don't look like ourselves, right? Then it worked."

"But its so embarrassing," Wendy said, as she flushed crimson. Despite that, the group started trudging down the road again.

"Well, this get up may not be ideal but it gets the job done, so I suppose I can't complain _that _much," Carla said.

"Easy for you to say," Happy said, whose entire body save for his eyes was hidden in a mass of leaves. The group strolled down the road, as they eventually came up to the edge of one of the floating islands, with a river flowing by it.

"So these islands are just floating here in mid air?" Wendy asked, "And the river? This is really weird."

"I wonder what kind of yummy fish are in that river," Happy muttered.

"Hey look!" Wendy said, pointing. The group looked in her finger's direction, and saw what looked like a man sitting by the edge of island, a fishing rod in the river.

"Its a person!" Happy said.

"Must be one of the natives of Edolas," Carla said.

"Maybe he has an idea of where everyone is," Wendy suggested, "I mean, its worth a shot, right?"

"I suppose so," Carla said, "Now…" She looked around.

"Please tell me one of you sees Natsu somewhere," she said, clenching her teeth.

"You're too late," Happy said.

"Oi!" The fisherman turned, and saw a hulking leaf monster with glowing eyes.

"I'm looking for…." With a scream, the fisherman ran away.

"Hey! I was just asking a question!" Natsu called.

"You stupid fool!" Carla yelled, "You come up to him dressed like that, and start yelling, that was almost assured!" Wendy couldn't help but giggle at that.

"I'm sure he didn't mean too!"

"That's Natsu for ya," Happy said. With that the group continued walking, eventually ditching the disguises, mostly under Wendy and Happy's insistence. The group was now walking along a log across what looked like a large lake.

"Gah!" Happy said, "That feels better. Now if only we could find something to eat."

"I beat there are some edible fruit in this forest," Wendy said, looking around.

"We can't go around plucking fruit off trees, child, especially in this place," Carla countered. There was then a splash. The group looked down, and saw a small fish-like creature in the water.

"Look! A fish!" Happy said.

"Well, that takes care of that," Natsu said, cracking his knuckles, "Too bad we don't have a fishing rod, but…." Within an instant, the "small" creature fully emerged from the water, revealing itself to be a monstrous beast the size of a house.

"Huge fish!" Happy cried.

"Is it too much to ask for something to _right_ in this world?!" Carla yelled.

"Great!" Natsu said, as he took a battle stance, "This will feed us for a time!"

"Natsu!" Wendy protested, "That thing is way too big!"

"I've taken bigger!" With that, he leapt at the monster, arching his fist back.

"Fire Dragon's…." Natsu's fist bounced right off the creature's fist. After an awkward instant, the monster swatted Natsu back into the log.

"Natsu!" Happy and Wendy cried.

"The hundredth time!" Carla yelled, "You can't use magic here like you can in Earthland!" Wendy pulled her adopted brother out of the log.

"Well in that case," Natsu said, before turning, "Run!" Quick to do what they were told, the group started high tailing it out of there. As they were running, Carla's head suddenly got much clearer. Maybe it was being so focused on one thing at the time, but….

"I just remembered!" Carla said, as she reached into her dress pocket, and pulled out those strange balls Mysotgan gave her, "Mystogan wanted me to give this to you two!"

"What are those?" Natsu demanded.

"I don't know, but if Mystogan wanted you take them, I imagine you should!" Carla said, as she threw both of them. Natsu and Wendy both caught them, and without missing a beat, popped them into their mouths.

All of a sudden, Natsu's body began to burn with the heat it always did. And Wendy suddenly began to feel a lot lighter. Both of them could sense something. It was as if they had something back. Natsu then grinned as he turned, and faced the charging monster.

"Natsu!" Happy called, "What're you doing!" That's when saw Natsu's chest suddenly light up.

"Now, I'm all fired up!" he said. With a roar, he released a massive stream of flames from his jaws. The monster didn't even have time to react, before it was thoroughly cooked. Everyone stared in surprise as Natsu wiped off the side of his mouth.

"Ah, that feels better," he said, "Nice to have that fire in my belly."

"How did you…," Carla mumbled. Wendy held out her hand and gathered a mini-tornado in it.

"I've got my magic back!" she said happily. Happy tried to create his wings, but found he couldn't.

"I don't," he said glumly.

"What are those things?" Wendy asked Carla.

"I don't know, but Mystogan gave them to me after you ran off," Carla explained, "I guess they were some means of using magic in Edolas."

"Well then, we owe him one!" Natsu said, "But let's eat now!"

**(sometime later)**

Once they group was finished eating, they struck out again.

"Now that we've got our magic back," Wendy said, "We should be better off, right?"

"Don't get ahead of yourself, child," Carla said, "You have your powers back, but we're still in a strange land which we have virtually no knowledge of."

"I thought you said you could be the navigator?" Happy said.

"I know I did," Carla said, "I thought that the memories of my mission could help give me a map of Edolas, but I was wrong. I'm just as lost as any of you."

"Well, if we keep walking, we're bound to meet someone, right?" Natsu asked.

"That's a gamble we may not be able to afford," Carla muttered. Natsu's hand suddenly lit up in flames.

"I could just burn the forest down," he offered. Before Carla could shoot that idea down, the group's attention was drawn by gasps. They looked in said direction, and saw a couple of Edolas people standing on the road over them.

"Oh crap," Natsu said. The people looked down at the group, and took notice of the two bipedal cats next to them.

"Well I guess it was bound to happen," Wendy said, before smiling at the people, "I…" The people then fell to their knees, much to the group's surprise.

"Mighty exceeds!" one of the group said, "Forgive us for getting in your way! We implore to not send your fire demon upon us!"

"Oh, uh, well we're looking for our friends here in Edolas," Natsu said. As he was talking, Happy came up behind him. The people screamed, as they dashed away.

"What's with the people here?" Natsu asked, "They're all so jumpy."

"It almost as if they were afraid of Happy and Carla," Wendy said.

"Am I scary?" Happy asked.

"Maybe they're just weird?" Natsu suggested as he leaned against a mushroom. That turned out to be a rather big mistake, as in an instant, the mushroom started to inflate. Before Natsu could even say anything, he was rocketed into the air.

"Natsu!" the group cried. They didn't have much time to respond, as Natsu apparently set off some kind of chain reaction. The ground suddenly seemed to explode, sending the group in the same direction. With a distinct crash, they smashed into some kind of house.

"Ow," Wendy muttered as she rubbed her head.

"How many times will we be sent flying?" Carla said. Natsu, who once again had his head stuck in the ground, was being helped by Happy.

"Well, at least we're covering a lot of ground," he said, as he pried Natsu out of the floor.

"Gah!" Natsu cried, as he shook his head. He then looked around.

"Where're we?" he asked.

"Some kind of warehouse from the looks of it," Happy said.

"Well I'd say that this bridge has probably already been forded," Carla said, "But it would probably be best if we try for disguises again, this time with real clothes." Nobody protested, and they all dressed themselves in the proper attire.

"Natsu, can you please not look this way?" Wendy asked shyly.

"You're my little sister," Natsu said, "There shouldn't be a problem." But Wendy wasn't having any of it.

"Well I guess this will do," Carla said, as she demonstrated her new clothing, which Happy was quite fond of.

"You're one pretty kitty!" he said. He was wearing a cape with a strange helmet. Natsu was wearing a red cloak with a gold shirt, and his trademark scarf. Wendy was wearing a red dress with her hair tied up into twin pigtails.

"So Natsu, where do…," but Wendy didn't finish when she saw her brother's face pressed against the window.

"Its Fairy Tail!" he said excitedly. Everyone looked out the same window, and indeed saw the Fairy Tail emblem, in what looked like a tree of some bizarre kind.

"Its in disguise too, but its definitely Fairy Tail!" Natsu said as he started running towards it, with everyone following him. Natsu pushed open the doors, and sure enough, everyone was gathered around doing what they normally did apparently.

"They're okay!" Natsu said happily, "Let's find Lucy!"

"Something feels kind of off," Happy muttered.

"Who care's, they're alright!" Natsu said.

"Well everything seems normal," Wendy said.

"Take a look again," Carla said. After ushering them under a table, the group took a second look. They then saw Juvia standing by the job board, wearing a slightly more skimpy outfit, with her hair curled again, but aside from that….

"Well, I'm going to work," she said.

"Wait Juvia!"

"The flying fu…"

"Shut your mouth fire breath!" Carla hissed, "There are children present!"

"I wanna go to!" Gray said. Well at least it… looked like Gray. Insofar as he was covered with lair upon lair of clothing. Juvia looked over him, before frowning.

"Take off some clothes and I just may entertain the thought," Juvia answered.

"The hell!" Natsu yelled. After noticing that, the differences become much more apparent.

"I'm off to a job!" Nab said as he ran by.

"Take a break for once in your life!" Warren called.

"You're such a wimp, Elfman!" a scarred Jet said, "You should be able to protect your team!"

"You always screw up!" Droy with sun glasses said.

"I'm so sorry," Elfman said. He looked exactly the same, save for his hair being straight. He was crying of all things.

"Will you stop crying!" Droy said.

"You're a man!" Jet snapped.

"I'm sorry!" Elfman sobbed.

"I'm so glad to be with you Bis-Bis!" Alzack said.

"So am I, Al-Al!" Bisca answered as she snuggled up to him.

"Hey Cana!" Macao with combed hair and glasses called, "Drink with us!"

"Oh, you know I don't drink," Cana said. She was wearing a dress, with a feminine hat, much to the group's horror.

"I love Juvia so much!" Gray cried.

"You don't take a hint, do you!" Reedus snapped.

"What's going on?" Natsu hissed.

"This is nuts even for them!" Happy said. A shadow suddenly fell over them.

"What are you doing here?" Natsu's eyes widened at the sight.

"Why are you sneaking around?" Lucy asked. She was wearing goth clothes with a skull tying up her trademark hairstyle. But Natsu noticed something completely different first. She wasn't pregnant.

**Note: I figured one major difference would be to give Natsu and Wendy their magic back. I don't think it will really damage the story in anyway. But that isn't the only major change I was talking about.**

**I'm really looking forward for Ashley to learn that Heartfilia is pregnant, and for both her and Dragion to learn that Dragneel is the dad.**

**Be sure to review.**


	45. The Other Fairy Tail

_**The Other Fairy Tail**_

The group stared, as everyone stared back at them. Natsu was completely focused on Lucy, who was glaring down at him. At first glance, she looked just like the one Natsu loved, but after a second glance, it was quite apparent that she wasn't. This Lucy carried herself much stronger, and more importantly (to Natsu at least), she was clearly not pregnant.

"Can't believe I'm repeating myself, but why are you sneaking around?" Lucy demanded. The group stumbled back.

"Why are _you_ acting so weird?" Wendy asked. Lucy looked closely at Natsu, before smiling big and throwing her arms around him. But this wasn't like when the Lucy Natsu knew hugged, this hug _hurt_.

"Natsu! You dummy!" Lucy said happily, "Where've you been!"

"Eh!" Wendy and Happy cried. Carla just frowned.

"You took your sweet time coming back," Max said.

"What's with those clothes?" Warren said, "You trying to disguise yourself or something?"

"Damn it, Natsu," Lucy said softly, "I was so worried about you. I was fearing the worst." Natsu blinked in surprise. _Maybe this Lucy is…._

"Now for your punishment!" Next thing the Dragon Slayer knew, Lucy was clinging onto his back, bending his arms back in a very painful way. _Never mind! This Lucy is crazy!_

"Oh! That's one of Lucy's 48 forms of torture!" Warren said.

"The Screwdrive Crush!" Max said.

"Can't you be nicer to the poor guy?" Cana asked calmly.

"I feel so sorry for him," Elfman sobbed.

"For crying out loud stop crying out loud!" Jet and Droy yelled in unison **(that's taken straight from the English dub, which I don't own either)**

"I'm glad you're alright too," Gray said, before looking at Juvia, "Just like you Juvia!"

"Yeah, whatever," Juvia answered, rolling her eyes.

"What's with everyone?" Happy cried, "Why are they all acting so weird?"

"Glad your back, Natsu!" Mirajane said cheerily.

"At least Mirajane's alright," Happy said, "That's a little disappointing." Carla looked over the group, and narrowed her eyes.

"What do you think, Carla?" Happy asked, "Has being in Edolas changed everyone?" Carla didn't answer, as she continued frowning.

"I've got to ask though," Macao said, "What's with the girl and the cats?" There was a sudden pause, before everyone recoiled back.

"Those aren't just cats, those are exceeds!" Max said.

"Exceeds?" Happy echoed.

"Alright, Natsu," Lucy said, "You're explaining yourself!"

"What's with everyone freaking out about Happy and Carla?" Natsu croaked out. Mirajane walked over, and bent down over said cats.

"I don't know," she said sweetly, "They don't look so bad."

"Careful, Mira," Wakaba said, "They could bite."

"I think my big sis is right," Elfman said smiling, "They are pretty cute, after all."

"Well if you think so, but I'm not letting down my guard," Juvia said.

"Likewise," Warren said, "An exceed is an exceed."

"Alright Natsu, sit!" Lucy instructed, as she slammed Natsu into a chair, "You better start explaining everything, and bare in mind, that if I don't like what I hear, you're getting snapped in half." Natsu just stared at Lucy, looking her over, narrowing his eyes. Needless to say, that set Lucy off again.

"What are you looking at you punk?" Lucy demanded, "You want more beating!" Not waiting for an answer, Lucy apparently started to try and break Natsu's neck.

"Lucy's acting really kind of scary," Wendy mumbled, with a sweat drop.

"Will you shut up!" Levy's voice shouted. Lucy's attention was drawn to the voice who as indeed that of Levy, who was working near some kind of machine.

"You got a problem grease monkey?" Lucy sneered, as the two stood off.

"Only with you, you blonde gorilla," Levy countered, "You should know how important what I'm working on is."

"Maybe I'd be nicer if you were actually getting anything done!"

"And maybe _I'd_ be nicer if you weren't constantly screaming!"

"Wow," Happy said, "Lucy and Levy are acting like Natsu and Gray."

"You know, looking at how strange everyone's looking, I wonder what Erza's like," Wendy said.

_(in Wendy's mind)_

"_Wendy, you're so cute!" Erza said, "You can have all my cakes!"_

_(in the real world)_

"Yeah, if everyone's opposite," Happy said, "Then…"

_(in Happy's mind)_

"_Alright Erza!" Happy said, pointing, "There's a giant monster! You've got to go slay it!"_

"_Yes Catmander!" Erza said, drawing her sword._

"_And when you're done, bring me some fish!"_

"_It will be done sir!"_

_(in the real world)_

"I really want to see her!" Happy said, "What do you think, Natsu?" But Natsu wasn't paying attention, he was still staring at Lucy. That got Lucy's attention, as she leapt onto Natsu, and started strangling him.

"Will you stop staring! Its creepy!"

"Lucy!" a new voice called, one Natsu and Happy both recognized, called, "Stop bullying Natsu!" Everyone looked over, and saw a girl with short white hair, wearing a light blue dress.

"Way to ruin my fun, Lisanna," Lucy grumbled as she let Natsu go. He and Happy stared at Lisanna in shock.

"Lisanna," he muttered slowly, as he walked over to her, as Happy came up as well.

"Is it really you?" he asked. Lisanna took an awkward step back.

"Uh yeah," she said, "Is there anything to indicate otherwise?" Natsu touched Lisanna's shoulder, as he stared at her. True, Lucy was the one he loved, and that wasn't going to change; but Lisanna was one of his closest friends, and to see her standing before him again was…. He couldn't describe it.

"You're real," he said, "You're real." Happy just stared in shock, not able to move.

"Yo! Natsu!" Lucy hissed, as she yanked him back, "Now I'm really pissed! Now you're going to give me answers!" There was a period of silence as Natsu looked at her.

"Did I stutter or something?" Lucy snapped. Natsu just narrowed his eyes at the sight of Lucy, and shook his head.

"No." Everyone looked at him in surprise, especially Lucy.

"You smell like her, you look like her, and you sound like her," Natsu said, "But you're not her. You're not _my_ Lucy."

"The hell is that supposed to mean!" Lucy demanded, as she grabbed Natsu's nose and yanked, much to his chagrin.

"Yeah, what does that mean?" Gray asked, "I mean I know my Juvia."

"I'm not your's." Natsu pushed Lucy off, and to the ground, much to everyone's shock. Natsu glared down at Lucy.

"I don't know who you are," he said, dead serious. He then looked around at everyone.

"I don't know who any of you are, and I don't care," he continued, "All I know is that this isn't my home. And you're not the people I know." Everyone just stared at Natsu in shock at this.

"Natsu," Lucy said softly. For the first time, Natsu was standing up for himself. But that wasn't what got to her. For him to put everyone in his guild down like that….

"I don't get it," Happy said softly.

"Isn't it obvious?" Carla said, "This isn't our Fairy Tail. This is just the equivalent in Edolas. These aren't our friends." Wendy and Happy both stared at her in shock.

"How's that possible?" Wendy asked.

"I don't know, but there's some pretty solid evidence," Carla said, pointing. There was a young woman, with a decent sized bust, and long dark blue hair, looking at them.

"What do you think is up with Natsu, Wendy?" Warren asked.

"I don't know." Wendy stared in shock. That was… her?

"These are all different people," Carla said, "They've always been here."

"I knew it," Natsu said, clenching his fist, and then looking at Carla, "Then where can we find Lucy?"

"Most likely there in Edolas capital," Carla said, "We should…" However, she was interrupted when the door swung open.

"Its the Fairy Hunter!" The announcement broke the guild out of their stupor at Natsu's statement. They all then began to scramble around.

"Fairy Hunter?" Happy asked.

"Of course!" Macao said, "You're telling me you haven't heard about the Fairy Hunter?! Erza Knightwalker!" The group stared at that phrase. _Erza?_

**(outside of Fairy Tail)**

"Mmmm," a man with hiked up blonde hair and pink armor said, "Seems like we've finally found them." He was riding a massive blue beast with horns. It was a legion, the primary calvary of the Edolas Royal Army.

"You never save to amaze me, Captain Knightwalker," he said, looking to a legion next to him. Standing atop that was a woman with long, wild scarlet hair, that was tied back, and covering one eye.

"Good, I was getting impatient," Erza Knightwalker said, as she spun her weapon in her hands, "Now Sugarboy, let's wipe these fairies from existence!" Behind her, were a dozen more legions, each with soldiers atop their backs.

**(in Fairy Tail)**

"Levy!" Lucy yelled, "Fire that thing up! We've got to get out of here!"

"Strike that!" Natsu snapped. Everyone looked in his direction, as he cracked his neck.

"I'll deal with them," he said, as he headed towards the door.

"Are you crazy!" Lucy yelled, as she reached for his shoulder "You can't take on a whole platoon of legions by yourself!" However, she recoiled back when she tried to touch him, with a hiss.

"The hell?" she said, "What's with that heat?" Natsu then looked at everyone in the guild, as he removed his coat. His chest then lit up, much to everyone's surprise.

"Why his chest glowing?" Levy asked.

"Don't worry," Natsu said with a smile, "I can handle this." He then walked out the door.

"You're going to want to see this!" Happy said as he ran out the door after Natsu. Wendy and Carla followed, albeit reluctant in the case of the latter. Eventually, some of Fairy Tail also stepped out the door, with some looking out the window. Natsu stood strong, as a group of massive flying beasts descended upon him. He then saw what looked like Erza staring at him, but he didn't care, that wasn't Erza. He then inhaled.

"So Natsu the Fireball's surrendering?" Erza muttered, "Does he think that we'll grant him mercy for that?"

"What's he doing?" Juvia demanded, "He's going to get killed!" Natsu looked up at the beasts as they came down on him.

"If you're the ones who took Lucy and the others," he said, deathly calm, "Then I now what I've got to do."

"Natsu! Run!" Lucy cried desperately. However, she as silenced by what happened next.

"NOW BURN!" Natsu roared, as he breathed out a torrent of flames at the descending enemies. The legions and their riders were consumed in fire.

"The hell!" Erza demanded as she pulled her legion back out range of the dragon fire. Just as quick as it was breathed, the fire dissipated, leaving everyone to stare at Natsu as clouds of steam leaked out of Natsu's mouth. Even Erza was astounded at the sight.

"What… What kind of magic is that?" she muttered, before clenching her teeth, and retreating. She needed to reevaluate her strategy. Natsu wiped the side of his mouth, before looking back towards Fairy Tail.

"Let's get out of here," he said, but everyone was too shocked to do anything.

"Did he just…. breath fire?" Lucy stuttered.

"Did you just hear me!" Natsu said, "We got to get out of here!"

"He's right!" Carla said, "No doubt that not-Erza is going to come back with reinforcements!"

"Al… alright," Levy said, as she ran over to the device.

**(sometime later)**

Turns out that device caused the entire guild hall to teleport to a completely different location, almost like a plant growing out of the ground, into what looked like some kind of desert. After that was done, the Earthland group gave the Edolas group the rundown.

"So you're from another world, and in that world is another Fairy Tail, with doubles of ourselves?" Juvia asked.

"That's the long and the short of it," Natsu answered.

"With Erza being a member?" Mirajane asked.

"Yep." The guild all stared at him.

"You know how difficult that is to swallow, right?" Droy said.

"That is pretty outlandish," Mirajane said.

"Wait, so this little girl is me!" the Edolas Wendy demanded surprise.

"Um, hello!" Earthland Wendy said, with a blush.

"This Wendy may not be as hot, but she's certainly cuter," Max said.

"So the Lucy you know isn't like me?" Lucy asked.

"Of course not!" Natsu said, before flushing pink and getting a dreamy look, "_My_ Lucy is really sweet and cute, not mean or scary." Wendy took notice that he didn't mention that Earthland Lucy was pregnant.

"What's that supposed to mean!" Lucy demanded, but didn't attack him. That guy just breathed fire, Lucy wasn't going to threaten him.

"Is the Juvia in Earthland anything like me?" Juvia asked.

"No way!" Happy said, "In Earthland, Juvia and Gray are a couple!"

"WHAT?!" everyone cried out.

"Did you hear that sweet Juvia!" Gray said, 'Our counterparts are together, we must also be together!"

"We're not them!" Juvia snapped. During all these antics, Lisanna just stared at the group in silence.

"So are we just going to skip over the fact that this guy just breathed fire?" Levy said.

"Oh yeah, that's right," Lucy said, "How did you manage to do that?"

"Its a long story, and we don't really have time for it," Natsu said, "We've got to save our friends, and my Lucy! Now point us in the direction of the Royal City!" Everyone recoiled back at that request.

"You want to go **towards** the city?" Levy said, "What are you, suicidal?"

"No," Natsu said frankly, "I'm just a guy who wants to get his girlfriend back."

"Earthland Lucy's your girlfriend?" Lucy asked, somewhat surprised.

"Yeah, and I'm going to save her," Natsu said, standing up, "And you can either help me, or you can step aside. I don't really care, because its getting done!" Fairy Tail just averted their eyes.

"You don't think we've tried?" Lucy asked, "We've tried to stand up to the kingdom, and look where it got us? That was the first time Erza retreated from _us_. And that was just because of you."

"No one can take on the kingdom," Gray said, "Other guilds tried, and they all got destroyed." There were voices of agreement around the table. Natsu then shrugged.

"Fine," he said, "Then get the hell out of the way." He then pushed his way out of the guild.

"Wait for us, Natsu!" Wendy called as she ran after him with Happy and Carla in tow. Fairy Tail just stared after them, as Lucy clenched her fists.

**Note: This was long, there was a lot to cover. Next chapter will see more Edo Lucy, Earth Natsu interaction, and probably the reunion between Dragneel and Heartfilia. We also get to see Knightwalker in this, and I'm certainly looking forward to writing her. I'm sorry if Natsu is seeming OOC, but on top of his friend's getting kidnapped, his girlfriend seemingly was as well. And on top of everything, said girlfriend was pregnant with his child. I think his seriousness is justified.**

**On an unrelated note, thinking of a title for this chapter was hard.**

**Be sure to review.**

**Something that I feel I should vocalize, is that one thing that concerns me, is making characters OOC. Now in EOTBD, that's the entire point, but in stories like these, which is taking canon and putting your own spin on it, I'm not as for it. I also get rather irked when people are dissatisfied with the story, and decide to rewrite more to suit their own interests on how they wanted it to be. I won't name any names, but in one story, the author seems to be completely re-writing Juvia because they don't like the Gruvia pairing. Now I don't have a problem with disliking a pairing, but I don't think one should make Juvia their own characters because of it. I don't know, that's jut my brief soapbox.**


	46. Faust

_**Faust**_

In the core of Edolas, lay the Royal City, a towering series of structures, all dwarfed by the massive Royal Palace, that looked more like a series of columns strung together than an actual structure. And hovering over it, was a Lacrima, the size of a city.

"Holy crap! You mean to tell me that a guy breathed fire? That's, like, impossible!"

"I know what I saw, Hughes." Erza was walking down the halls of the palace, flanked by Sugarboy and another man with short purple hair and a white streak, Hughes.

"And perhaps if Sugarboy had opted to actually participate in the fight instead of leaving, the result would've been different," Erza said, shooting a glare at her fellow officer.

"Mmmm," Sugarboy responded, "I was scouting out a potential location for Fairy Tail to run too."

"Regardless," Erza continued, "I don't know how Natsu Dragion managed to do what he did. It was almost certainly coming out of his mouth, and unless he swallowed a fire lacrima, that shouldn't have happened."

"Again, its, like totes, impossible," Hughes said, "But I'd love to know how he did it."

"When I catch him, I intend on finding out. That was power, and power that impressive should be at the kingdom's disposal," Erza answered, "But I'll admit that colossal lacrima did also earn my attention."

"Mhmm," Sugarboy said, "It is quite impressive. I heard it has an entire city's worth of Earthland magic."

"The details make it boring, Sugarboy!" Hughes said, "All I need to know is how totally awesome it is!"

"Not the words I would use, but I suppose you're correct," Erza said.

"Ms. Erza!" a raspy voice called. Everyone stopped and looked in said direction. A short, elderly person who looked more like a gremlin than a man stood before them.

"Byro," Erza greeted with a nod.

"So is it true?" the Chief of Staff inquired, "You encountered a fire breathing man with those Fairy Tail outlaws? That guild is becoming increasingly more annoying."

"It will be done," Erza said, "I was caught off guard, so it won't happen again."

"I'm certain," Byro sneered, "_Kegh_!_ Kegh_!_ Kegh_!"

"That sound is so abhorrent." A towering figure strode into view. He was wearing heavy armor with a large coat. But what was most notable was his face, which was that of a panther.

"Still as blunt as ever, eh Pantherlily?" Byro said. Pantherlily just scowled at him, as he walked forward.

"What's with you Pantherlily?" Hughes complained, "Why do you always act so high and mighty? Last time I checked you're not any better than us."

"Are you challenging me Hughes?" The man glared, but didn't say anything.

"Well you're certainly in a foul mood," Sugarboy said.

"Then it is advisable to stay out of my way," Pantherlily answered, as he pushed past them.

"What's his problem?" Hughes asked.

"Chances are the military buildup is still grating on him," Sugarboy said.

"I'm not questioning our king's directive, but we've united almost all of the world," Erza said, "Is the buildup truly necessary?"

"There's still resistance, and a couple locations remain independent," Sugarboy said, "The ones who haven't been enlightened to the greatness of our king."

"Then they will dealt with accordingly by us," Erza said, "No more buildup necessary. Not to mention that Subject S is still functioning flawlessly."

"Gah!" Hughes said, "Don't mention that thing! Subject S is, like, totally wack!"

Further down the halls, a young girl scurried down, as if she was running down hot coals.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty! Your Majesty!" the girl called. Her name was Coco, she was the assistant of Chief of Staff. She skidded to a halt before the steps of a large throne, saluting.

"I've just got word that we will be able to start extracting magic from the lacrima within four days time," she said. The figure was silent.

"Its not enough," he muttered. Coco cocked her head as she scurried in a circle again.

"I'm sorry Majesty!" she said, "But I do not understand. Combined with Subject S, the amount of magic could be inmeasurable!"

"There are still restrictions," the figure said, "And I won't be satisfied until they are gone." He then rose to his feet, revealing a tall, elderly man with white hair and a beard, wearing a robe. He was Faust, the King of Edolas.

"And when that is gone, we will truly be free!" he declared, "And we must take an unlimited source of magic!"

**(somewhere else in Edolas)**

Two hooded figures were walking across the sand.

"This place is getting more surreal by the second," the shorter of the two figures said.

"Yeah, and talking about it isn't going to make it change, shrimp," the taller answered. The other, who turned out to be Levy, sighed.

"And your sarcasm isn't going to make this any easier to figure out, Gajeel," she said, before looking into the distance, "Is that a town?" Gajeel followed her gaze.

"Looks like it," he said, "Maybe our luck is starting to change." The two started heading down towards it. Levy then went back to remember how things all started.

_(Flashback)_

_Levy licked her finger as she turned a page._

"_What're you reading?" Kinana asked, as she leaned down. Levy grinned._

"_This isn't actually a book," she explained with more than a touch of enthusiasm, "Its a tome about Space Magic."_

"_You trying to learn about Space Magic?" Kinana inquired._

"_No, but I got this book as a reward for a quest once, and I sort of forgot about it until that stint with Frieze," Levy said, "Elfman fought a Space Mage." She then looked back down, and noticed the letters glowing slightly._

"_What the…." That was when there was a massive flash._

_(End Flashback)_

Levy had regained consciousness sometime later, finding Gajeel standing around a massive open space. Apparently the tome had an enchantment that protected her from space magic. Next thing she knew, Mystogan was launching them into the sky, and they were being spat into this weird world called Edolas.

"You'd think that Mystogan guy would've told us more about this place," Gajeel said.

"Well I imagine he didn't know that much actually," Levy answered, as she looked around. The town wasn't particularly large, but it was by no means small, maybe being slightly smaller than Magnolia.

"What do we do now?" she asked.

"We start asking people," Gajeel said. To illustrate his point, he walked up to the nearest person.

"Yo!" he called, "I need some info!" The guy he was talking to looked at him, before walking away, as if Gajeel didn't exist.

"The hell?" Gajeel muttered, "What's his problem?"

"Maybe if you looked less like you would cut off a guy's head?" Levy suggested with an arched eyebrow, "Let me try." She then walked up to another person, lowering her hood.

"Excuse me," she said, "I'm sorry to bother you, but I was wondering if you give me and my companion a hand." The guy looked down at Levy, before glaring.

"Piss of," he said, as he walked away, much to Levy's surprise.

"Uh… what?" she asked.

"Wow, and you call me out," Gajeel said. Levy flushed red.

"Well, I ain't giving up!" Ley said, "And neither are you! Let's go!"

**(in the desert)**

The group walked down the desert, leaving Fairy Tail far behind. Wendy looked over shoulder, unable to see the place anymore.

"Too bad they won't help," she said.

"They made their choice," Carla said, "And if they've got a problem, then its their hangup."

"I don't really care," Natsu said, "If they're not going to help, then I'm not going to wait for them." Wendy and Happy looked at each other, slightly unnerved by Natsu's tone.

"Hey look!" Happy suddenly piped up, pointing. Everyone looked over, and saw a small frog-like creature.

"Its a little froggy!" Happy said as he fluttered over towards it.

"Will you focus, tomcat!" Carla scolded. Natsu looked at the frog, and would be lying if he said he wasn't tempted to join Happy with chasing it. Wendy seemed to notice.

"I'm sure Lucy wouldn't want you to be like this," she said, "She'd want you to have fun." Natsu made a face at the frog, before he gave into his temptation, and jumped at the frog after Happy.

"Come back here!" he yelled, as he jumped at it again.

"I don't think its advisable to encourage such behavior," Carla said.

"I'm not going to let Natsu mope around like this," Wendy said, "Last time Lucy disappeared he nearly burned down a mountain range. I don't want him to go crazy again like the incident with Frieze." Natsu then sprung at the frog again, managing to catch it by the tail this time.

"Gotcha!" he said, as he grabbed the small animal.

"Uh, Natsu," Happy said.

"What?" Happy pointed. Natsu looked up, and saw a much larger version of the frog looming over him. Wendy and Carla looked in the same direction.

"I think that's the mom," Happy said.

"Still think that was a good idea?" Carla asked.

"I'm sorry!" Wendy cried.

"Whatever," Natsu said as he let the little frog go, and jumped to his feet. He then charged up his fire infused fist, and when the frog lunged at him, he slammed the fist into its gut sending it careening away.

"Oh yeah, I forgot," Wendy said, "I don't know why I worried."

"Sooner or later you're going to find something that you can't just scorch," Carla said, "Anyway, we should keep moving, come on Wendy." The group the began to continue, before the sand exploded, and another one of those frogs launched at Wendy.

"Wendy! Look out!" Natsu yelled as he turned to breath fire. Wendy got ready to let loose her own breath attack, but before they could, a whip lashed around the frog's neck, sending an electric shock through its body, and causing it to keel over.

"You know the least thing you could do is get some info," Lucy said as she climbed onto the frog's unconscious body, "Desert jumpers always travel in pairs to protect their children."

"Thanks Scary Lucy!" Happy said.

"Yeah, thanks a bunch, Scary Lucy!" Wendy echoed.

"Will you stop adding on a 'scary' to my name!" Lucy snapped.

"What're you doing here?" Natsu asked, looking up at the blonde, "I thought you weren't going to help us." Lucy glared at him.

"I don't know why I thought you were Natsu," she said, "You're much more obnoxious."

"Save it, both of you," Carla said, looking up at Lucy, "What's with the change of heart?" Lucy made a face, and averted her eyes.

"I can't in all good conscious let you wander blindly through Edolas," she said, "I had to at least contribute something." She then jumped down to ground level.

"Now follow me," she instructed. Lucy then started walking, only to notice that Natsu wasn't following her.

"What's your problem?" she asked.

"You're not _my_ Lucy," Natsu said, "Why should I trust you?"

"Natsu!" Wendy scolded. Lucy glared at Natsu.

"First off, maybe its that I'm not _your_ Lucy, maybe its that you're not _my_ Natsu," she said, "Secondly, you might not want my help, but you need my help if you want to find 'your' Lucy."

"She's right," Wendy said, "We do need her help." Natsu clenched his teeth, before sighing.

"Let's go."

"High time," Lucy said, as she lead the group towards the nearest town.

**(sometime later)**

Eventually, Lucy lead them into the town of Louen.

"Alright," she said, "If you want to get some info, you can start here."

"Thanks, this was very helpful," Wendy said.

"Yeah, no problem," Lucy said, flushing slightly red. With that, she started to lead them down the road.

"There are a lot of closed magic shops," Happy said.

"Understatement of the century," Lucy said, "Once upon a time you could buy and sell magic no problem. Then the Royal Army comes along and starts shutting down guilds and banning the use of magic. Turns our entire world upside down."

"Well that sure sucks," Natsu said. Lucy turned and glared at him.

"I take it back, _that's_ the understatement of the century," she said, "This doesn't just 'suck'. Our entire lives were centered around magic, and now the country starts ripping that piece right out from under us." Natsu looked at Lucy, but didn't say anything.

"Come on, don't tell me that you don't know how it feels to suddenly lose something precious to you," Lucy said. Natsu then shot her a glare, but still didn't say anything. Wendy, Carla, and Happy winced at that. That caught Lucy off guard. _I guessed I touched on something sensitive_ she thought.

"Well, one way or another, I imagine you've had to go for some time without magic, maybe you can sympathize," she said, "In fact, I imagine you can't use that attack any…."

"What're you talking about?" Natsu said, "I breath fire at least twice a day." There was a sudden silence.

"Say what?" To illustrate his point, Natsu let out a brief puff of fire from his lips, much to Lucy's surprise.

"Using that big of an attack should've drained the lacrima," she said.

"Lacrima?"

"You know, the fire lacrima you had to have swallowed." Natsu let out a snort.

"Lacrima tastes terrible," he said, "I'd never eat it again." That was when it dawned on Lucy.

"Wait, you mean to tell me…," she began.

"Unlike Edolas, in Earthland, our magical power is infinite," Carla explained, "Natsu can shoot off as much fire as he wants to, without ever risking permanently running out. Though I for one sometimes wish he did with all the stuff he's burning." Suddenly, Lucy was felt a surge of jealously. People from Earthland could use magic at their leisure, without having to ever worry about running out of it.

"Boy what I wouldn't give to live there," Lucy muttered softly.

"What was that?" Wendy asked.

"Nothing!" Lucy said quickly, before pausing. She wanted to change the subject.

"I'm hungry," she said, "Let's get something to eat." She then lead them to a restaurant, and had them sit down.

"Hey," Lucy said, "I've got a question."

"What is it?" Happy asked.

"Can you tell me about the Earthland me?" Lucy asked. Natsu suddenly lit up, which surprised Lucy, but no one else.

Eventually Natsu finished talking about his girlfriend, as Lucy listened intently. She then burst out laughing.

"Wait a minute!" she said between laughs, "You mean to tell me that I'm writing a novel! And I use keys to summon weird star spirits? That's rich!" She continued laughing loudly. The rest of the Earthlanders took notice that Natsu didn't mention that Earthland Lucy was also pregnant.

"Scary Lucy is much more vulgar than regular Lucy," Happy said.

"Will you shut it!" Lucy snapped.

"Don't laugh about my Lucy!" Natsu said angrily.

"Will you stop talking like I'm some aberration?" Lucy demanded.

"That word's too big for Natsu to know," Happy said. Lucy sighed. _Her_ Natsu would've known that word. Her attention as suddenly attracted by a group of men wearing armor coming down the street.

"The Royal Army!" she hissed, "Hide!" She then yanked the Earthland wizards into the alley, as the soldiers walked past.

"Don't forget, guilds were all supposed to be shut down," Lucy said, "We shouldn't be out in the open like this, its dangerous."

"So we're just supposed to dive into alleys whenever we see those guys?" Wendy asked.

"Why can't I just burn them?" Natsu asked.

"You can't take an entire army that's over a hundred thousand strong," Lucy said.

"I've faced worse odds," Natsu said. Before Lucy could answer, they all suddenly heard a very familiar voice.

"Will you guys let me go!"

"Was that…," Wendy began.

"Lucy!" Natsu said, as he poked his head outside of alley. The others followed suit. Sure enough, standing in a circle were a group of Royal Soldiers. In the center was a blonde girl, with part of her hair tied back. But what was most notable was her swollen stomach.

"Just surrender, Lucy Ashley!" one soldier said.

"That's not my name, my name's Lucy Heartfilia!" Tears of joy began to drip down Natsu's face.

"Lucy!" Wendy and Happy said.

"Me!" Lucy said. That was when she looked closer, and noticed the girl's swollen stomach.

"She's… I'm…. pregnant?"

**Note: I decided to bring Levy along too, because why not? I'd love for some suggestions as to what to do with her. That's not my only plan. I'm certainly looking forward to next chapter.**

**And what could this "Subject S" be?**

**Be sure to review.**

**On an unrelated note, an anonymous reviewer by the name of "Natalie" asked me for a third time to do a sex scene. The answer is, and will remain, no. This is a rated T, and will remain that way. And I won't do a separate story just for the sake of smut either. Sorry, but I don't do smut.**


	47. Natsu and Lucy

_**Natsu and Lucy**_

Tears of joy dripped down his face, as Natsu stared at his beloved Lucy. He then remembered the soldiers that were surrounding Lucy when one of them grabbed her wrist.

"Again, surrender!" the soldier snapped. Suddenly, Natsu's chest lit up like a torch.

"Don't you dare touch her!" he roared, as he started running in that direction. However, as he did, Lucy picked out one of her keys.

"Open, Gate of the Scorpion: Scorpio!" she said. With a large flash, the Scorpion Spirit came into existence.

"Lucy can use magic too!" Wendy said.

"That's one of the spirits?" the Edolas Lucy **(who for now will be called "Ashley", as Earthland Lucy will be called "Heartfilia")** said.

"I've been looking forward to being summoned! Wicked!" he said.

"What the hell?!" one soldier said.

"Its some kind of demon!"

"Do your thing, Scorpio!" Heartfilia instructed.

"You got it!" Scorpio said, "Sand Buster!" Out of his "tail" burst a massive stream of sand, that blew several of the guards away in one blast.

"Whoa," Ashley muttered in surprise, unable to find any other words.

"Sorry to suddenly bail on you like this, but I've got a date with Aquarius," Scorpio said.

"Don't worry," Heartfilia answered with a smile, "Thanks for the help." With that, Scorpio disappeared.

"LUCY!" Heartfilia turned, and saw Natsu running up towards her.

"Natsu!" she cried happily, as she held out her ams. She would've run to him, but her pregnancy prevented her. Natsu threw his arms around his girlfriend, picked her up, and spun her around.

"You're okay!" Natsu said, as he looked up at her.

"So are you!" Heartfilia said, hugging back. Natsu then put her on the ground, and pressed his lips to hers.

"What?!" Ashley said in surprise.

"What are you so surprised about?" Carla asked, "Wasn't it made clear already that those two were an item?"

"But I never thought…" She didn't finish, as Ashley looked down. Natsu was now on his knees, his forehead pressed to Heartfilia's enlarged belly.

"Hey!" he said, smiling big, "Don't worry, now that your dad's here, nothing bad is going to happen!"

"Dad?!" Ashley cried, "You mean that bulge is Natsu's kid?!" Now it made sense why Natsu was so aggressively set on finding her.

"That's me!" Heartfilia said, pointing at Ashley. She disconnected from Natsu, and approached her counterpart.

"I knew that it would be weird, but this is just….," Ashley couldn't find the proper words for this situation.

"Over there!" Another group of soldiers charged the group.

"Introductions will have to be put on hold!" Carla said, "We need to get out of here!"

"Leave it to me!" Heartfilia said stepping forward, pulling out one of her keys, "Let me show you what I can do! Now Open, Gate of the Ram: Aries!" The pink sheep girl flashed into existence.

"Its the fluffy one!" Happy said excitedly.

"Um… hello everyone," Aries stuttered.

"That girl came out of thin air!" one soldier said.

"What kind of demon is this?" another asked.

"Take it away, Aries!" Heartfilia instructed.

"Um… well… I'll certainly try!" Aries said, as she closed her eyes, and held up her arms, "Wool Bomb!" Massive amounts of pink fluff erupted out of her hands, striking at the soldiers. Though they didn't seem all that unhappy about it. Much to the contrary, they clung onto the wool like it was the greatest thing in existence. Ashley couldn't believe her eyes at the sight of that.

"You did it Aries!" Heartfilia said.

"I did?" Aries asked, fidgeting, "Well, I'm really sorry!"

"There's nothing to apologize about," Heartfilia said, with a sweat drop.

"There's not me to keep on chatting!" Carla said, we need tog et out of here. And get out of there they did.

**(somewhere else in town)**

"I wonder what that commotion was?" Levy asked, looking off in the direction of all the noise.

"Who cares?" Gajeel asked, "It doesn't help us. Now help me find someone who'll help us!" The two then continue walking down the road.

"Yo!" The two were alerted to angry voice, and when they turned, they saw three men who were clearly wannabe gangsters.

"You got a problem?" Gajeel asked.

"Gajeel," Levy said sternly, "We can't be causing trouble."

"Yeah, we've got a problem," one of the men said, "And its the two of you!" They then walked right up to the two Fairy Tail mages.

"You think you can walk around here like hot shit, like nothing has ever happened, then you've got something entirely different coming!"

"We're not looking for any trouble," Levy said, as she took an instinctual step back.

"But clearly these clowns are," Gajeel said.

"That stinking nerve!" The guy tried to punch Gajeel. The process nearly broke his fingers. Levy sighed.

"I tried to warn you," she said. Not missing a beat, Gajeel then slammed his fist into the punk's nose.

"Take this you bastard!" another guy said as he and his friend charged Gajeel as well, only for their fists to clang against dragon iron. Gajeel smirked as the two stumbled back, before grabbing the first guy's collar.

"Alright, now you're going to give me some answers," he said, "We're looking for a giant lacrima!"

"I don't know what you're talking about!"

"Really? Yeah, I don't believe you. Let's see if you still don't know with a nose made of powder." He then held his head back.

"I really don't know!" the guy cried.

"Gajeel," Levy said, "He's probably telling the truth." The Dragon Slayer glanced down at her, before snorting, and tossing the guy away.

"Damn, what's a guy got to do to get some decent info?" he asked.

"What's with you, Gajeel?" the guy asked, "How'd you suddenly get so tough?"

"And why are you going around with him, Levy?" another asked the blue haired girl, "I know Fairy Tail's no friend of the kingdom, but you guys never struck me being able to work together." Gajeel and Levy exchanged looks at that.

"Must be talking about our Edolas counterparts," Levy whispered. Gajeel nodded in agreement, before turning back.

"I know I look like him, but I'm not," he said, "But what's this Gajeel guy like?"

"Oh, well he's one of those investigative journalists," one of the thugs explained, "He's regularly criticizing the government, so he's not very popular. He also likes to poke his nose into other people's business, and he's always asking about this 'Subject S' stuff." _So my guy's some snoop?_ Gajeel thought.

"What about Levy?" Levy asked.

"Well she's a member of Fairy Tail, the last mage guild there is. Never met her myself though." _Well, at least my counterpart's not that different,_ Ley thought.

"Thanks for your help," she said, before she and Gajeel left.

**(somewhere else in town)**

"Um, will you please stop, that's getting a little weird," Heartfilia said. Ashely couldn't take her eyes off of Heartfilia's pregnant stomach. The group was hiding somewhere else in town at the timee.

"Its just so weird," Ashley said, "Seeing myself pregnant."

"It is pretty cool," Natsu said, as he rubbed his face against said stomach. Ashley looked at Natsu, somewhat surprised. After meeting her Earthland counterpart, it was as if he had completely changed.

"Two minutes with our Lucy and its like the weight of the world was lifted off his shoulders," Wendy, who was sitting next to Ashley, commented. Ashley continued to stare at Heartfilia, not able to find the proper words.

"Hey, Lucy!" Wendy said.

"Yes?" Both blondes answered, but Ashley retracted, figuring that Wendy was probably asking for Heartfilia.

"I'm really glad we found you, Natsu was close to setting the entire land on fire," Wendy said, "But how exactly did you get to Edolas?"

"Well, before everyone disappeared, Horologium apparently sensed a disturbance in space-time and managed to save me," Heartfilia explained, "The first thing that I thought about was where Natsu was. That was when Mystogan showed up. He threw some red ball into my mouth, before sending me flying into the air. Next thing I knew, I was hanging in a tree here in Edolas. I wandered around looking for the others. Eventually I bumped into you guys, and here we are."

"Well then I owe Mystogan a bunch," Natsu said, "I wish I knew who he really is."

"Carla got some of those red balls from Mystogan too," Wendy said, "I guess that is what let's us use magic here."

"That Mystogan guy is really weird," Happy said, "I wonder why he knows so much about Edolas."

"I think our higher priorities should be finding the rest of our guild mates," Carla said, "We still have no leads."

"Well, I was actually asking around town," Heartfilia said, "Not a lot of people wanted to help me, though."

"Its not like I've got good reputation in town," Ashley said, "Sorry 'bout that."

"Eventually I came across some black market dealer who told me that some giant lacrima had appeared, around the same place that I showed up," Heartfilia continued, "And that the army had came around and promptly gathered it up. So I put two and two together and…" The notion fell over everyone.

"The entire guild was turned into a lacrima?" Wendy asked, covering her mouth.

"It would seem like it," Carla said, as she frowned, "This makes things more complicated. All the more reason to head towards the capital."

"Alright, do you…" Heartfilia was silenced when Natsu threw his arms around her body.

"Natsu, what are you doing?" she asked. Natsu just smiled.

"I'm just really glad that you're okay," he said, "You and our little egg."

"Little egg?"

"We're having a little dragon, so its an egg," Natsu explained, as he nuzzled Heartfilia's stomach. She giggled, as she tussled her hair.

"I wouldn't let any of our guild mates see this side of the Salamander," she said. Ashely watched in silence at the sight of the two. She couldn't help but be slightly jealous.

**(sometime later)**

In the bathroom of an inn, the Lucys were taking a bath. Ashley sat across from Heartfilia in the large tub, still staring at her stomach.

"Alright, I don't think I can deal with all that staring," Heartfilia said, with a nervous grin.

"I can't get over it," Ashely said, "Its just… me and Natsu." Heartfilia cocked her head.

"What's your Natsu like?" she asked.

"You… don't want to know," Ashley said, "Let's just say he's nothing like your Natsu." Heartfilia smiled, as she rubbed her belly.

"Natsu's sweet," she said, "No matter the situation, I can count on him, as can everyone." Ashley looked down at her knees.

"You like your Natsu don't you?" Heartfilia said, with a smile. Ashley flushed red.

"N… no!" she said quickly, "How could I like a wimp like him!"

"I'm sure," Heartfilia said as she rose to her feet, being careful with her swollen stomach, to get a towel. As her back was to Ashley, something was noticed.

"Okay, so we're here," Carla said, pointing to the map they had acquired, "And the Royal City is here, on the other side of the sea." She and the others, minus the two Lucys, were sitting sitting in the living room, trying to think of a plan.

"That's so far!" Happy said.

"Even if we manage to get transportation, it'll be weeks before we get to there," Wendy said, "What do we do?"

"Well, I guess we just start walking," Natsu said.

"Hey, we really are exactly alike," Lucy's voice said. The group looked up, and saw Ashley, only wearing a towel.

"We even have that same freckle on our rear," she said.

"Don't just go walking out!" Heartfilia snapped as she came up, "And I don't have any freckles anywhere!" She was also only wearing a towel, and that attracted Natsu's attention.

"What're you doing, Scary Lucy?" Wendy asked, "Natsu's in the room!"

"I can see him fine," Ashley said, "But what does it matter? Natsu and the other Lucy already banged. So its not like its anything he hasn't seen before."

"Yeah," Natsu said with a shrug, "And you actually do have freckles on your butt, I remember when…."

"There is a child in this room!" Carla scolded.

"Will you both have some damn decency!" Heartfilia snapped. Natsu cocked his head at the Lucys.

"You know without your clothes, you really do look exactly alike," he said, "You even smell the same."

"Yeah," Wendy said, "If not for our Lucy being pregnant, we probably wouldn't be able to tell the difference."

"You can say we have some 'Dup-lucy-ty!" Happy piped up with a giggle.

"Tomcat I politely request that you jump in a lake." After the Lucys put on some more decent clothes, they looked at the map.

"The Royal City is really far," Ashley said, "No doubt its going to be a long journey."

"Well then we start walking," Natsu said, with a shrug.

"You probably won't get there in time," Ashley said, "If there really is a giant lacrima, they will start harvesting it as soon as they can. Which will certainly be more than a few weeks."

"I notice they keep on mentioning lacrima," Happy said.

"From what I assembled," Carla said, "To Edolas, magic is what happens when you take an empowered lacrima, and put it together with a tool."

"That's it in a nutshell," Ashley said.

"Getting back to traveling," Heartfilia said, "Even if we were to do that, we'd have to double our time."

"Why?"

"Guess," Heartfilia said, pointing at her stomach, "This little one is going to be wearing me down. So there's no way we can walk." Ashley paused to think, before a lightbulb lit up.

"I got an idea!" she said, "Just hang tight while I go make a call!" She then ran out of the room, as the others watched.

"Wow, Scary Lucy sure is smarter than Regular Lucy," Happy said.

"Shut it, cat!" Heartfilia snapped, grabbing Happy's ear.

"But my Lucy's so much nicer!" Natsu said, as he cuddle his girlfriend again.

"Natsu, not that I don't appreciate the affection, but can you maybe show some restraint?" she asked.

**Note: Some might be asking why Lucy can fight and use magic considering her pregnancy. Well, in all honesty, there's nothing to indicate in canon that pregnancy causes a mother's magic power to diminish; that concept is purely fan invented.**

**So Natsu and Lucy have been reunited, and I hope that was satisfactory. Keep in mind that when both Edolas and Earthland Lucy are in the scene, they will be referred to by their last names. It makes thing easier.**

**Please review.**


	48. Fireball

_**Fireball**_

"Do we really have to do this?" Levy asked. She and Gajeel had entered into a bar to find Gajeel's Edolas counterpart, whose name was Gajeel Greenwolf. From what they heard he had connections and information, and that he was in town. No luck so far.

"You got a better idea?" Gajeel said.

"Look, if this guy is the opposite of you, shouldn't he be in places you wouldn't go?" Levy suggested, arching an eyebrow. Gajeel scowled at her.

"I almost want to meet your counterpart, maybe she'd be less annoying." Levy rolled her eyes at him, before looking around some more. She noticed one guy in a blue suit, with a blue hat at the bar. He had a rather familiar physique to a guy she knew.

"Could it be…," she muttered, as she stood up, and walked over to the bar.

"Where're you going, shrimp?" Gajeel asked. Levy ignored him as she came up to the bar, and sat next to the guy in the suit.

"So how about that giant lacrima, huh?" she asked.

"I don't know what you're talking about," the man said. All it took was a few words from that voice, and Levy knew who it was.

"You're Gajeel, right?" she asked. The Edolas equivalent of her guild mate looked at her. Levy struggled not to snicker slightly. He had short curly hair, and wore glasses, which looked completely out of place on the chiseled face with the red eyes, which widened slightly.

"Levy?" he asked. Levy blinked at his reaction. This new Gajeel **(Greenwolf)** then grabbed her shoulders smiling.

"Its been so long!" he said happily, though softly. Earthland Gajeel **(Redfox) **was surprised at the sight of that.

"Uh…," Levy said.

"Since you guys were declared illegal, we haven't been able to go on as many dates as we used too," Greenwolf said.

"Date?!" Levy hissed. That caused Redfox to twitch slightly. He then stood up, as he approached the two.

"Hands off my shrimp," he said. Levy flushed red at the sound of that. Greenwolf looked up at Redfox, glaring at the sight of him.

"The heck's this?" Greenwolf said. _He really is different_, Levy thought_ Our Gajeel would've said "fuck"._

**(with Lucy, Natsu, and Wendy)**

"A Complete History of Edolas?" Wendy asked, as she looked at the book Lucy and managed to acquire.

"Yep!" Lucy said as she took it back, smiling big, "Books are books, after all!" She and the others, save for Lucy Ashley, were taking a walk while Ashley made her call.

"Maybe we can find some good baby toys," Lucy said to Natsu, "I think our kid would like some, and we can find some unique ones here." Natsu made a face.

"I don't like this place," he said, "I don't want my kid to have any crap from here."

"Don't be such a stick in the mud," Lucy said with a pout.

"Aye!" Happy said, "I'd like to see a stuffed fish from this world!"

"Of course you would," Carla muttered.

"We could always use one of you two," Lucy said, "I'm sure our baby would like to snuggle with some flying cats."

"I'd sooner get my wings clipped," Carla said.

"Come now, Carla," Wendy said, "Don't be so harsh." Eventually they got back to their inn, and saw Ashley leaning on the wall.

"Took you long enough," she said as the group came up. She then noticed the book in Heartfilia's hand.

"I've read that book," Ashley said with a snort, "All it is is glorifying the kingdom and its conquests, and how magnificent this land is."

"You talk like Edolas spans the entire world," Wendy said.

"Well, it almost does," Ashley said, "Under the reign of the current king and the last, most of the other countries were conquered. Though everyone uses the word 'unified'. Conquered is too mean a term. There are only a few places that are still independent." She then looked up, and saw something.

"We've got to go!" she said. The others looked up and saw an… airship?

"Its like that thing Blue Pegasus has!" Natsu said.

"The Royal Army is coming, we've got to hide!" Ashley said, as the group dove into the shadows. Several platoons ran through the roads, heading towards the ship.

"Move your ass! You don't want to be left behind!"

"What's with so many deployments to the capital?" another soldier asked.

"The day after tomorrow is when they're going to start the magic extraction," a third answered, "You can never be too careful."

"Day after tomorrow?" Wendy asked, "We only have that long?"

"We better start thinking of a plan quick," Carla said.

"Isn't it obvious?" Natsu said, as he grinned, "We take the ship!" Everyone stared at him surprise.

"You're kidding right?" Ashley asked, "That's a fully armed, fully stocked airship!"

"If this weren't a vehicle, I'd say he was kidding," Happy said, "But since this is a vehicle, there's no way Natsu would get on one."

"Really?" Ashley said. _Wow, he really isn't my Natsu_ she thought.

"Well, its not like we've got any choice," Heartfilia said.

"You're agreeing with this?" Carla demanded.

"Well, Natsu's never steered me wrong before," Heartfilia said.

"That's a lie," Happy said. Heartfilia ignored him.

"We have to do something, right?" she said, "And besides, since there are only three Fairy Tail members, I guess that makes me the third most powerful member, right?"

"You might be stronger than me, Lucy," Wendy said.

"Then that might make me the second strongest," Heartfilia said proudly, taking an attempted sexy pose, " With Natsu being the first of course."

"Its hard to look sexy when you look like you swallowed a beachball," Ashley said.

"At least I wear a color that doesn't make me look like the Grim Reaper's maid," Heartfilia countered. Ashley just stuck out her tongue.

"Alright!" Natsu said, cracking his knuckles, "One strong breath should handle this."

"Don't forget about me!" Heartfilia said, as she pulled out one of her keys.

"I can use Troia to manage Natsu's motion sickness," Wendy said, "So we don't need to worry about that."

"Are we really doing this?" Ashley asked, "You know, I've…" "Now let's do this!" With that, the two confidently strode out.

"Yo! Shell heads!" Heartfilia yelled. The guards all turned. One of them was suddenly introduced to a fire infused fist, which sent them careening away.

"We'll be taking your ship now!" Natsu said, as he smiled, his chest glowing bright. He then kicked up with a fire infused kick, sending another couple guards away.

"Wait!" Ashley called, "You don't need to do this!"

"Save some for me!" Lucy said, as she held up her key, "Open, Gate of the Lion: Leo!" There was a massive flash, before from the light appeared…. Virgo.

"Hello, Princess," Virgo said, "Do you wish to punish me?"

"Virgo!" Lucy cried, "What're you doing here?!"

"Big brother is currently on a date," Virgo answered, "But am I here to assist you."

"First off, don't call Loke that," Heartfilia said, "Second, if you're here than give us a hand!" Virgo glanced a the charging soldiers.

"Do you think they'd like my dance?" Virgo suggested as she gave some kind of weird dance. Heartfilia face palmed.

"And here I was hoping to show off," she said, "Just go home." As Virgo flashed back into the Spirit World, Heartfilia noticed Natsu blasting another platoon of guards away. She pouted.

"Why can't I be badass like that?" she grumbled.

"What's with this guy!" one soldier yelled, "He can shoot fire out of his fingertips!"

"That's dragon fire for you!" Natsu said, grinning, "Nothing's stronger! Now who's next?" He turned, and saw another battalion charging them.

"Great, more kindling!" Natsu said, as he inhaled. However, before he could exhale, the line suddenly exploded, as a shape flashed by.

"Finally, he took his sweet time," Ashley said, as she put her hands on her hips. It was some kind of vehicle. The vehicle's window rolled down, and a familiar face stuck out.

"You called, Luce?" a familiar voice asked.

"The hell took you!" Ashley said, swinging open the door.

"Let's go, Natsu!" Heartfilia called, as she ran towards the vehicle.

"Ah, crap," Natsu muttered, as he ran towards it. Wendy and the cats did the same. Once they all piled in, the vehicle took off

**(with Gajeel and Levy)**

"No, I refuse to accept that," Levy said. Her face was so red, it made her entire head a contradiction.

"Well its real," Greenwolf explained, "Levy Emara is my girlfriend." Levy shook her head desperately, turning an even brighter shade of red. She and the Gajeels were sitting around a table in the corner of the tavern.

"Who cares?" Redfox asked, "Don't we have more important things to worry about?"

"Okay," Greenwolf said, as he pulled out his notepad, "I'll tell you this is quite possibly the most insane story I've ever heard in my time doing this."

"That's probably a severe understatement," Redfox said, "How often do you meet yourself?" Greenwolf chuckled.

"Well I've got to say that you're bluntness is refreshing, actually kind of reminds me of Levy," he said.

"The shrimp, blunt?" Redfox asked, "Now that's got be a joke."

"I'm not sure if I should be insulted at that," Levy commented.

"I'm the blunt one, eh?" Redfox said, "You're the guy whose causing trouble with the Kingdom?"

"I'm not causing trouble," Greenwolf responded, "I'm just telling it like it is. That's my duty as a reporter, telling the people the truth, whether they like it or not. Of course its the 'or not' part that might get make me some enemies."

"We ran into some of those enemies," Levy said, "They really didn't seem to like you."

"And now they're munching dust," Redfox said.

"Sorry to drag you guys dragged into trouble I've caused," Greenwolf responded, "I know I've got my fair share of enemies for what I've wrote, but its my life's purpose to speak the truth."

"You know when I first got here I figured everything would be completely opposite," Redfox said.

"Its not?" Levy asked.

"Well…," the Gajeels said, as they looked each other, before sounding off together, "We're exactly alike!" Levy sighed at their antics.

**(with the main group)**

"Wow! We'll be at the capital in no time!" Happy said.

"Troia… please," Natsu whimpered, as he lay in Heartfilia's lap.

"Sorry, Natsu," Wendy said, "I already cast it."

"This guy's such a wimp!" the driver said back. The group was whisking around the desert at top speed, heading towards the capital. The Earthland goers were in the backseat, with the Edolas goers in the front.

"What kind of idiot gets sick in a car?"

"Hold your horses," Ashley said from the shotgun seat.

"Whatever, I don't know why you wanted an airship," the driver continued, "My baby's way better! Hell, how do you think I got my name?" With that, he turned to face them, and the group got a good look at his face.

"Why do you think I'm known as 'Natsu Dragion the Fireball'?" he asked.

"Natsu!"

"Me?" Dragneel forced out.

"Well, yeah," Ashley said, "He's our courier." Dragion glanced back at Dragneel.

"Even though I'm him, I'd hate to be _like_ him," he said, "I'd lose my mind if couldn't be in my car!"

"So this runs off lacrima too?" Wendy asked.

"Yeah," Dragion, "A special kind that draws every ounce…"

"Stop it!" Ashley said, "Once you get talking about this, you never shut up." Heartfilia poked her head up to get a good look at Dragion's counterpart.

"Wow!" she said, "You look exactly like my Natsu!"

"And you look exactly like my Lucy," Dragion said, before glancing at her stomach, "Minus the bulging stomach, of course. You might want to lay off the…."

"I will have you know I'm pregnant!" Heartfilia snapped, flushing red. Dragion did a double take.

"Say what?" he asked.

"I'm pregnant," Heartfilia repeated, rubbing her stomach, "And my Natsu just so happens to be the dad!" _That_ caused Dragion to slam on the brakes.

"Wait! You mean…."

"Aye!" Happy said, "Natsu and Lucy are a couple!" Heartfilia leaned back, and placed Dragneel's head back in her lap, stroking his hair gently. Dragneel seemed to get more comfortable at the feeling of Lucy and his child being close (though Wendy would suggest it was because of Lucy's scent, but that seemed less romantic). Ashley cleared her throat nervously.

"Come on!" she said, "Let's keep going!" With that, Dragion moved forward. He and Ashley looked at each other, before they both quickly looked away, both blushing. After sometime of driving in awkward silence, Dragion stopped.

"Alright!" he said, "We're here!"

"Finally!" Dragneel said happily as he leapt out of the car and hugged the ground like it was Lucy, "I missed you so much ground!"

"Alright!" Ashley said, "Everybody out!" It didn't take long for the others to be kicked out onto the dirt too.

"What was that for?" Heartfilia asked.

"Look we agreed to get you to the city," Ashley said, "We didn't say anything about taken on the government."

"We've got to get back to our guild," Dragion said, "With the Fairy Hunter still on our ass, we're going to have to change location again soon."

"Come on!" Dragneel said, as he sprung forward, and grabbed Dragion by the collar, "Don't be like that!"

"You don't want to…," Ashley couldn't finish.

"Wait! No!" Dragion was promptly removed from the car, and sent onto the ground. He then looked up, and saw Dragneel looming over him.

"Now you're going to tell me how you don't get carsick!" he said. However, instead of getting an answer, Dragion just cowered, much to Dragneel's surprise.

"Please! Don't hurt me!" Dragion said as he looked up, a look of sheer terror on his face. The air turned still as everyone stared at him. Ashley sighed.

"Uh….," Dragneel said.

"This Natsu's even weirder than ours!" Happy said.

"I'm sorry!" Dragion whimpered, "But people always say I'm a completely different person in the car!"

"That's putting it mildly," Ashley muttered.

"I can only take you this far!" Dragion said, "I only did it because my Lucy made me!"

"I'm standing right here you know," Ashley said.

"I'm sorry!" Dragion said.

"I for one certainly don't want to bring a coward like him!" Carla said.

"Be nice Carla!" Wendy said. Ashley sighed again.

"Look," she said, "You got here, didn't you?"

"What do you…" Everyone turned, and saw a vast sprawling city.

"Is that…," Happy began.

"The Royal City!" Carla said.

"Its huge!" Wendy said.

"Why didn't you tell us this earlier!" Dragneel said with a big grin, throwing an army around his counterpart's shoulder.

"I'M SORRY!"

"Well we've got no time to waste!" Carla said as she started running down.

"Aye sir!"

"Wait for me, you guys!" Wendy said as she followed.

"Thanks for everything!" Heartfilia said, smiling at the others. She then bent down and Dragion flinched, only to be kissed on the cheek, causing his face to glow crimson, and Ashley's to glow even brighter.

"Hey!" Dragneel whined, "What about me? Don't I get a kiss?"

"Technically you just got one," Heartfilia said with a grin, "But two for flinching." She then kissed Dragneel on the lips, before moving down after the others. Dragneel looked to follow her, but turned back to face them.

"Thanks for all your help," he said.

"Are you really going to take on the kingdom?" Dragion asked. Dragneel just grinned.

"Let's just say, you mess with the dragon, you get the fire!" he then turned, before looking back, "And one more thing, me! Just go for it!" With that, he ran after the others.

Now alone, watching the others in the distance, Lucy and Natsu looked at each other again, before flushing red again, and looking away.

**Note: I don't know why I called Edolas Gajeel "Greenwolf", by I guess it was like "color" and "canine", like "Redfox". And I figured I'd through in some more GaLe to boot. **

**Bear in mind, I'm following the anime on a lot of this opposed to the manga, since the anime expands on it. For example, Edolas Gajeel is from the anime, I didn't invent him (aside from his last name). Next chapter things should really start picking up. And we may know Subject S soon.**

**Be sure to review, I'm trying to get to 500 by the GMG arc.**


	49. The Royal City

_**The Royal City**_

The Royal City seemed like a rather severe inversion of rest of Edolas. As the group walked down the street, they saw people screwing around with magical items, playing around like all was well with the world.

"To be honest I was expecting something a lot darker and scarier," Wendy said.

"Yeah," Lucy said, "Considering how nobody tried to stop us when we came on, on top of everyone using magic and partying, this place seems more like a carnival than the seat of a tyrant."

"Considering that all this magic is probably stolen from others around Edolas," Carla said, "Chances are they all feel they can waste it away on these petty toys." Natsu meanwhile got the brilliant idea to try one of the floating horses. It went about as well as it always did. Wendy then noticed a crowd of people down the road.

"Hey look!" she said pointing, "Something's going on over there!"

"Maybe its a parade?" Lucy suggested.

"Like our Fantasia parade?" Natsu asked after regaining his footing, as he ran over in that direction, "Sounds cool!"

"Aye sir!" Happy said as he trailed behind.

"This isn't the time to play!"Carla yelled. As they moved down the cheering crowd, the group looked around.

"People sure seem excited," Wendy said.

"Yeah," Lucy said, before being interrupted when somebody bumped her from behind, almost causing her to lose her footing.

"Hey, pregnant woman here!" she snapped.

"Screw you!" the man who bumped her said. Lucy pouted, before going over to Natsu.

"Sweetie," she said, "Can you beat up someone for me?" However, Natsu wasn't paying attention, he was just staring straight ahead. Lucy followed his gaze, and saw what he was looking at. It was a lacrima, a giant one, at least twice the size of a house.

"Its a giant lacrima," Wendy said.

"This is it, isn't it?" Happy said, "All our friends are in there, right?"

"It seems like it," Carla said, "Though this lacrima looks pretty uneven, as if its been cut from something."

"So that means there's even more of it," Lucy said. The people of Edolas continued to cheer as an elderly figure in a robe, and a long bear came up on a balcony, and spread his arms proudly. He then held up his hands, as the people simmered down. It was King Faust.

"My children!" he said, "It is with immense pride that I state that our Anima project has bore even greater fruit that when he could've hoped. The magic within this lacrima will last us at least another decade!"

"That's a bunch of kitty litter!" Happy snapped, "You just stole magic!"

"Restrain yourself," Carla hissed.

"Let us celebrate and cheer!" Faust continued, "Let happiness reverberate throughout our nation! For this power belongs not just to me, but to all people of Edolas!" As he spoke, the Fairy Tail mages all glowered at him

"On this day we ensure our nation's future! And thus we must protect this no matter the cost!" Faust said, "And now…" He then slammed his staff into the lacrima ,sending several shards careening down to the ground.

"We harvest this power!" Natsu's chest lit up, as a growl rumbled out. From the shadows, Gajeel and Levy

"All our friends," Levy said, clenching her fists, "How can these people believe that?"

"Its because their idiots," Gajeel answered, "But we're not, so we need to figure out something to do."

Meanwhile, Natsu began marching towards the podium, only to be grabbed by Lucy. He was burning hot, but Lucy didn't pay attention.

"No!" she said, "You can't!"

"He… will…. burn!" Natsu said.

"He will!" Lucy said, tears dripping out of her eyes, a look of pure rage on her face, "And we'll get all our friends out of there, but we have to keep our heads!" Maybe it was being close to Lucy, but Natsu stood down, though his chest didn't dim.

He and his family just stared up as the king cackled, and the people cheered.

**(sometime later)**

The group was sitting in an inn, the event earlier still reeling in their heads. Natsu, who as staring out at the palace, clenched his teeth.

"That's it!" he declared, as he jumped to his face "I'm burning that place down!"

"Natsu!" Lucy scolded.

"You can't go in their without a plan," Carla said.

"I'll just use my Dragon Aspect!" Natsu said, "I'll turn them all into ash!"

"That can't be your answer to everything," Carla said, "We need a strategy."

"But we don't even know how to turn them back from that crystal state," Wendy said.

"The king will," Carla said.

"Why would the king tell us?" Wendy asked.

"Once he cooks for awhile under my fire, he'll sing," Natsu said.

"Natsu!" Lucy said, "Don't talk like that!" Natsu looked at her.

"I don't like it when you talk about torturing people like that," Lucy explained, "I don't want you to turn into an evil… clone." Everyone looked at her as she trailed off.

"Do you think that the king will know how to fix everything?" she asked.

"Well since he ordered it he should," Wendy answered.

"Then that gives me an idea!" Lucy said, smiling.

"Let's hear it," Natsu said.

"We use Gemini," Lucy answered.

"You mean those two blue things?" Happy asked.

"They can mimic anyone they touch," Lucy said, "And not only can they mimic the appearance, they can also copy their memories."

"So we can copy the king?" Wendy asked.

"That's the plan," Lucy said, "Though it can only last for five minutes, but that's not the problem. The problem is actually getting to the king to copy him."

"Why not just kidnap him?" Natsu asked.

"I think your missing the point of my plan."

"There's probably an entire army's worth of guards in that castle," Wendy said, "I don't think Natsu could take that many, even in Dragon Aspect."

"Then we take an underground route," Carla said. Everyone looked down at her.

"Think of it like this," Carla said, "Any king would always want to have some kind escape route. So there's likely some kind of escape tunnel going down under the castle. One that we can put to good use."

"How do you know that?" Wendy asked.

"Its just forming in my head," Carla answered.

"My head's still empty," Happy said sadly.

"So we got our route, all we need is to get there," Lucy said.

"Alright! We got our plan!" Natsu said, "Now let's do it!"

"Right!" Wendy said.

"Aye sir!" Happy said.

"Wait!" Carla said.

"Will you stop cutting me off like that?" Natsu said.

"It would be safer for us to go during the night," the white cat explained, "For now we should get some rest. We'll need our energy to do this."

**(somewhere else in the city)**

"Alright, so what's the plan?" Redfox asked.

"Well, I'm assuming that lacrima functions like any other," Levy said, "They'll probably use some kind of device to extra magical energy. It might take longer than normal with a crystal that big, but they'll do it."

"So then we need to find a way to get our guys out of there soon," Redfox said.

"Well if you want to do anything at all, you're going to need to get close to the lacrima," Greenwolf said, "That in its own right is going to be a major challenge."

"Don't say something if you can't contribute anything," Redfox responded.

"Actually I think I can contribute something," Greenwolf said, "I'm not a wanted man. I can gather info. Maybe find some weak spot."

"Well, its better than nothing," Levy said.

"We'll see about that," Gajeel said, "Knowing our luck this may very possibly end up being nothing."

**(that night)**

Once nightfall, the group set out to find their entrance, with Carla the lead. Eventually they found a large opening beneath the city.

"Well," Natsu said, as he held up his hand, lighting it up, "Let's head out."

"Don't waste your magic energy," Lucy said, "We're going to need as much as possible." With that, she pulled out a couple of homemade torches. After a brief explanation where they came from, Natsu lit up them all.

"Good thing Lucy thought of this," Happy said, "We'll need Natsu and Wendy to fight."

"If your going to be insulting, don't be passive aggressive about it," Lucy said. Natsu looked over the flame with a curious look. He then took a bite out of one the torches, and made a face.

"This fire tastes weird," he said.

"I've always wondered," Lucy said, "What does fire taste like?"

"Well it depends on the fire, but this tasted liked burnt chicken," Natsu answered.

"I can understand the burnt part, but why of all things chicken?" Wendy asked, "I mean, air just tastes sour, sweet, or bitter for me."

"I don't know," Natsu said, "I don't really ask questions like that. Takes away from the good parts."

"Keep your priorities straight," Carla said, "We need to keep moving." With that, they all ducked into the cavern. After sometime of walking, with Carla looking over a map she drew, Natsu's already low patience was starting to wear even thinner.

"How long is this going to take?" he asked.

"Be patient," Carla said.

"From the looks of things, nobody's been here for a long time," Lucy said. She didn't like the looks of everything, instinctively rubbing her belly as a way of reassuring herself.

"Put the light out," Carla instructed. After Wendy did as told, they saw a large barrier. It didn't take a genius to know what was likely on the other side.

"It looks pretty solid," Lucy said, putting her hand against it.

"Then we break it down," Carla answered, "No doubt this is our way in."

"That will be easy!" Lucy said, "Open, Gate of the Golden Bull: Taurus!"

"MOOOO!" Taurus said as he emerged form the Celestial Spirit world.

"Alright! The muscle cow!" Happy said.

"We need you to break down that wall," Lucy instructed.

"You can count on that!" Taurus said, as he clenched his fists, before starting to bang them into the wall. Each time a fist collided, there was a "Moo!". Eventually, the wall broke apart completely.

"Nice job!" Wendy said.

"Now how about a smooch, Ms. Lucy!" Taurus said. Lucy moved to send him back, but Natsu beat her to the punch. Quite literally in fact. A fire infused fist sent Taurus flying all the way back to the Celestial Spirit world.

"I should've cooked him and served him for dinner," Natsu said angrily.

"Head in the game, lover boy, head in the game," Lucy said. Everyone then looked through the hole Taurus made. Sure enough the chamber continued.

"You were right, Carla!" Wendy said. Carla just stared in surprise. Everything she had seen had proven correct. It was rather disquieting. She shook her head slightly.

"We still don't know if this leads to the castle," Carla said.

"Well you've been right so far," Wendy said. Natsu then noticed Happy staring at the ground.

"What's wrong, little buddy?" he asked.

"How come I'm not able to find my way around here?" Happy asked, "I mean, I'm from Edolas too, right? Shouldn't I be able do what Carla's doing?"

"We're not going to talk about this, remember?" Carla said, "I don't know why this is happening, but we need to remember why we're here, and keep going."

"Aye," Happy said softly. With that, they all trudged on. After sometime walking, they came to a fork in the path.

"Ah, it never fails," Lucy said with a sigh, "There's always a split in the path, isn't there?"

"We need to go left," Carla said. Everyone was surprised by how easy that was, but they followed Carla's instruction, and went down the path. Eventually, the broke out into a much larger cavern, filled with strange glowing mushrooms.

"If I'm right, this'll be right under the castle," Carla said.

"Alright, we're here!" Natsu said, "A little Dragon Aspect and…."

"We're here to capture the king, remember?" Lucy said.

"Don't forget, stealth is of more than the essence," Carla said, "We need to get into those chambers completely unseen if this is going to work."

"Okay then," Lucy said, as she started digging through her purse, "Let me just get Virgo to dig us a hole and…." She was silenced when a strong white goo shot out of the shadows and ensnared her.

"Lucy!" Natsu roared as he leapt to her aid. But before he could do get to her, more of that goo shot out and latched onto his body.

"Natsu!" Happy cried. Natsu struggled against it, as Edolas soldiers emerged from the shadows.

"You bastards!" Natsu said as he inhaled to breath his fire, only for more of it to cove his mouth, sealing the flames in it. Wendy moved to attack as well, only to get caught as well.

"How'd they know we were here!" Happy said. Carla just stared in shock.

"So these are the Earthland mages, yes?" an all too familiar voice asked. The group stared in horror as Erza Knightwalker emerged from the shadows.

"I should've thought as much," she said, "No magic in Edolas can do what you did."

"Erza!" Lucy cried.

"Take them away!" Erza instructed. After sounds of "Yes Ma'am", the mages were promptly dragged away, leaving the cats to just stare, as all the guards fell to their knees.

"Oh, might Exceeds!" Erza said, "It is with tremendous honor that we welcome you home, and the greatest humility that you thank you for completing your mission!"

"Our… mission?" Carla murmured.

**Note: Alright, so that's done with that. Next chapter more should be revealed, and again, we'll probably be seeing the true form Subject S soon enough. As you might guess, it will form a major deviation from the canon material.**

**Be sure to review. Updates may be slower, since I'll be meeting family soon for my birthday.**

**As I'm sure you all know, I don't own Fairy Tail.**


	50. Extalia

_**Extalia**_

With a grunt, Natsu and Wendy were both tossed into the cell. The moment Natsu hit the ground, he charged the guards, slamming into the bars right as they were closing.

"You ain't coming out of here," Hughes said.

"You bastard!" Natsu roared, "Where're the others!"

"The others?"

"Lucy, Happy, and Carla!" Wendy said, "Where are they?!"

"Well the blonde may be pretty," Hughes said, "But she's got no real use. She'll be executed." Wendy was horrified at that, but as for Natsu…

He didn't say anything, but instead let out a massive stream of fire at Hughes, who managed to dodge just in time.

"Whoa!" Hughes said in surprise.

"If you touch her, you will burn," Natsu growled. He opened his mouth, which was glowing, only for more that goo to be shot onto it, sealing the fire in his mouth. Hughes, standing out of reach, smirked.

"So Erza was telling the truth?" Hughes said, "You really can breath fire. That's like, totes awesome! I'd love to get that as well!"

"How can you do that to Lucy?" Wendy said, "She's pregnant!"

"So?" Hughes asked, with a shrug. Natsu's eyes blazed, but the goo was suppressing his magic. His chest glowed brighter than ever before.

"You also asked about the Exceeds, didn't you?" Hughes said, "Well I'm pleased to say that they carried their mission out to the letter, so we took them back to Extalia. Chances are they're feasting right now on their reward."

"What do you mean?" Wendy asked in horror, before remembering what Carla told them before they went to Edolas, "That's impossible! Carla abandoned it!"

"Is that so?" Hughes asked, "Well, you're wrong. The exact opposite in fact."

"N…. no," Wendy muttered, "Why?"

"You're idiots," Hughes said, "To not know this by now."

**(in the Royal City)**

Greenwolf jotted down some notes, as he walked down towards the lacrima.

"Stop right there!" a soldier said as a platoon came up to him, "This area is off limits!"

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Greenwolf said, "I'm just a reporter who needs information!"

"We're not here to be interviewed," the soldier said, "Scram!"

"Come on, surely you can spare one comment?" Greenwolf said, "Are all sides of the lacrima as closely guarded as this one?"

"Did I stutter or something? Scram!" Greenwolf grinned, as he shrugged.

"Can't win 'em all," he said, before strolling away.

From the shadows of a nearby alley, Levy watched closely. She cringed. This was getting progressively harder. They had a plan, but it was currently in jeopardy. She glanced up at the tower, Redfox was supposed to be watching closely.

"This better work," she muttered.

**(somewhere else)**

In a large deluxe room, on a bed that would be large even for a human, Happy and Carla lay asleep. Happy stirred as he looked around.

"What happened?" he asked, before looking at Carla and nudging her slightly, "Wake up!" Carla stirred as she woke up as well.

"Tomcat?" she asked, "What's going on? Where are we?"

"I don't know," Happy answered, looking around. Carla stared at her lap. She thought about everything that had happened.

"Apparently all that time I thought I was guiding them, I was just leading them into a trap," she said.

"Don't say that!" Happy said, "There's no way that could've happened! It wasn't your fault!"

"I betrayed Wendy," Carla said, clenching her paws, "This _is_ all my fault!" The door then opened, causing the two to look up, and see a face they were hoping they would never have to see again.

"Meow! Meow!" the cat that may have been supposed to be like a lion said. "Supposed to be" is key. It was essentially just Ichiya, if he was a cat.

"I take it you are the triumphant heroes?" he asked.

"Is that Ichiya?!" Happy cried, "He's a cat!"

"First and foremost, I am Nichiya, the Captain of the Extalia Royal Guard! Second, I am an Exceed, not a cat!"

"Now, now, Sir Nichiya," a new cat, which was black and constantly pumping his paw, said, "Don't forget they've never been to Edolas before, much less have seen another Exceed."

"Is that so?" Niche said, "Well, then it is pleased to meet you, I am Nichiya! Meow!"

"And I am Nadi, the Head of State in Extalia. Well done on your success."

"What are you talking about?" Happy asked.

"The Queen wishes to see you," Nichiya said. With that, he and Nadi left.

"Come on, Carla," Happy said, "We got to figure everything out." Carla just continue to stare into space.

"Don't worry!" Happy said determinedly, "I'll protect you!" Carla then looked up at Happy, before finally agreeing. With that, the two were lead away.

"I bet your excited," Nadi said, "You should be, considering what you've done."

"Maybe we'd be a bit more excited if we knew what was going on," Happy said.

"All in good time my friends, all in good time," Nichiya said. At that moment, they were lead into the light. Happy and Carla couldn't believe there eyes.

Everywhere they looked, there were cats. Cats walking and talking, just as Happy and Carla had always been able.

"You free tonight?" one asked, "Because I found this new kind of milk."

"Sounds good," said another, "What time?"

In another part, two more cats, or perhaps Exceeds, were bartering for fish.

"I'll take two blue trout, and one mackerel," one of them said.

"You know what, you've got so many little ones, that I gotta throw in too more for free," the fish monger said.

"Thank you so much! My kittens will love them!" Over in one part of the town, were a series of young Exceeds sitting at desks. There was a chalkboard with an older Exceed with a pointer.

"So basically while the Queen is of course above us, we ourselves are far beyond the humans," he said, "As such, the humans rely on our ever growing wisdom for guidance. And we are constantly guiding them, whether they know it or not." Carla and Happy just stared in awe at the sight of this. There were no words to describe the feeling.

"Look its the royal officials!"

"Meow! Sir Nichiya!"

"Meow, men!" Nichiya said.

"And the heroes of Earthland!"

"What's going on?" Happy asked.

"You are in the holy land of Edolas," Nadi said proudly, pointing, "Extalia, the home of the Exceeds, and the center of the universe!" Carla and Happy followed his finger, and saw a massive colorful palace.

**(in the Royal City)**

A parade came down the streets, advancing towards the lacrima. Greenwolf slunk through the crowds, approaching another guard.

"Seems everything is going according to plan," he said.

"Indeed," the guard said, "I'm sure everyone is looking forward to this. The prosperity this will bring our people will be great."

"Tell me something, is security as tight as the East and the West?"

"Unfortunately no," the guard answered, "Most of our soldiers are otherwise preoccupied, so we lack the manpower."

"Really?" Greenwolf asked with an intrigued look.

"Please don't write that down!" the guard said quickly, "I'll get in trouble."

"Oh I wouldn't dream of it!" Greenwolf said, "I'm an honest, fair reporter. I know when to not write something." After leaving, Greenwolf walked back into the crowd. Now he knew that the south side had a weak spot. _Perfect_ he thought. Greenwolf then tipped his hat. Normally he wouldn't be worth any attention, but considering who he was with…

"HEY!" a voice from the south yelled. The guards looked up, and saw Levy standing outside the crowd.

"Its me, Levy Emara of Fairy Tail!" Levy said, as she stuck her tongue and wiggled her butt at the guards, "Come and get me!" Their desire to catch a known, rather infamous criminal, several of the guards charged after, weakening the already less then satisfactory defenses. Levy then split.

"This better work!" she cried. At that moment, Redfox leapt from the tower, diving down towards the lacrima.

"What's that?!" another guard yelled. Redfox held up his arm, which turned into a sword.

"Iron Dragon's Sword!" he roared, as he brought it down onto the lacrima. As the sword came down on the lacrima, it was consumed in a massive light, much to everyone's shock.

"Alright!" Redfox said, grinning, "Who do we got here?" From the light, emerged three figures.

**(in Extalia)**

Nichiya and Nadi lead Happy and Carla down the halls of the Extalia royal palace. All this time, Nadi hadn't stopped pumping his paw.

"As you might have guessed, humans are so far beneath us that they can't even function," he said, "As such, we must guide them."

"I'm sure you've also noticed their vile parfume!" Nichiya said. Carla and Happy just watched solemnly.

"That said, it is actually Queen who reigns supreme," Nadi continued.

"Now that is a splendid parfume!"

"And because if the humans' numbers grew too high, it could prove quite problematic," Nadi said, before turning with a dark look, "So the Queen decides who gets to live and who gets to die." Happy gasped at that.

"B… but why?" he asked softly.

"To ensure our magic power," Nadi answered, "Bear in mind she is also the one who controls the humans of Earthland."

"She's that powerful?"

"She is a goddess after all, meow!" Nichiya said. Carla abruptly stopped.

"I remember it all now," she said, "The mission that was given to be at birth." The whole group stared at her.

"I was chosen to eliminate the Sky Dragon Slayer, Wendy," she said softly.

"What does that mean!" Happy said, "What do you mean when you…." Then the implications finally hit him.

"Then… my mission was to…," he couldn't say it. He just couldn't.

"I figured you were better off not knowing," Carla said.

**(in the Royal Palace)**

The Dragon Slayers both stared in silence as that news. Natsu's chest dimmed as the shock hit him. Tears began to gather in Wendy's eyes.

"No..," she whispered, "That can't be…"

**(in Extalia)**

"Was I really supposed to eliminate Natsu?" Happy said softly.

"Calm down for Heaven's sake!" Carla snapped, "Mission aside, we didn't do anything! So stop talking like we've succeeded!" The two looked at her in surprise.

"Amnesia, perhaps?" Nichiya suggested.

"That would be likely," Nadi responded.

"Don't pretend like you didn't hear me!" Carla yelled.

"Of course," Nadi answered, "Basically, your mission was to seek out these so called 'Dragon Slayers' of Earthland, and eliminate them. Then a wrinkle appeared in the plans when the humans began to use Anima to draw magic from Earthland. So we changed the plan, opting to turn the humans to magic, instead of simply killing them. As such, your mission became capturing, not killing."

**(in the Royal Palace)**

"With all this Dragon Slayer Magic," Hughes said, "you've got all the power we need. All that remains is to remove it, and we'll be done. And once we merge your magic with that of Subject S, we'll have enough magic to last forever!" But the Dragon Slayers weren't paying attention. Wendy was on her knees crying, while Natsu had sunk to the ground. Images of Happy's egg hatching, his first mission with him, and so many others flashed through his mind.

**(in Extalia)**

The two Exceeds just stared in horror at those words, as both fell to the ground, tears streaming down their faces.

"From the looks of things, overriding the orders may have been a misstep," Nadi noted.

"Be that as it may, everything worked out for the best," Nichiya said, "The Dragon Slayers have been captured, and all that remains is to wait for the humans to cover them to magic power."

"No…. no… no!" Carla said, "I came hear on my own! I came to save the others!"

"Not true, we've been guiding you all this time," Nadi said.

"But… all I ever wanted… was to take care of Wendy…."

"Insofar as you wanted to make sure you captured her? Well yes, I suppose you could say that."

"NO!" Carla cried.

"Cry about as much as you want, that won't change the fact that what's done is done," Nichiya said, "Since the beginning we've been controlling your movements." That was when Happy rose to his feet, and stepped in front of Carla. Carla looked up, and saw Happy wearing an expression she never thought possible from him.

"I won't believe that!" Happy snapped, "I won't believe that we have just been your puppets all this time! We are not your slaves!" He then held up his head, and roared with pride.

"We are mages of Fairy Tail!"

**Note: I figured I'd end it here, mostly to save events for next chapter. I liked this scene, because it gives Happy a big time to shine, which I think canon has been sorely lacking. You should now what happens next chapter if you know this arc.**

**Be sure to review. Just three reviews for last chapter? Come on everyone.**


	51. Happy and Carla

_**Happy and Carla**_

"Let's go Carla!" Happy declared, as he started pulling his friend down the hall of the Royal Palace, away from the others, "There's no way we're going to let anything happen to our friends! We'll save our themselves!" Carla just watched in silence at him.

"It seems that their time in Earthland had corrupted them," Nadi said.

"MEOW!" Nichiya bellowed out in tears, "What a horrible tragedy! They have Fallens! All guards after them!"

"Meow sir!" The guards then charged after Happy and Carla, who ran out of the palace.

**(in the Royal Palace)**

Eventually Lucy came to. The first thing that she thought of was her baby, as her hands went to her stomach. Lucy was relieved to see that it was still swollen. It was then that she noticed her hands were covered in some strange goo. After looking around, she noticed she was in a prison cell. Lucy then noticed the guards.

"HEY!" she snapped, "What're you doing! Let me out! Get this goo off of me! I swear when I get out I'm going to put your shoes in the garbage, flush your toothbrush down the toilet…." As Lucy continued to rant off different minor inconveniences, the guards did their best to ignore her.

"Those Earthland men are some tough bastards, to be able to deal with these sorts of women," one commented.

Eventually Lucy gave up, and took a breath. She reached into her pocket, and pulled out one of her keys. _Well this explains the goo _she thought. Meanwhile, one of the guards leaned over to his partner.

"Hey, we're not going to execute this girl right?" he asked, "I mean, she is pregnant after all."

"Come on," the other said, "The king's not cruel. He wouldn't hurt an innocent baby."

"Good. You know my wife's pregnant as well. And if anyone tried to hurt my kid, I'd love my spear where the sun don't shine."

**(in Extalia)**

"What's that?" one Exceed asked.

"Is it some giant caterpillar?"

"Why is that the first thing you go to?" a third asked. Happy and Carla ran past them, as the guards chased them.

"Quick, let's hide in here!" Happy said, as he pulled his guild mate into a hay wagon. The guards ran past them with Nichiya at the lead; insofar as Nichiya was stumbling behind them.

"I'm still a young cat!" Nichiya gasped, "I can get them myself! Meow!"

"Good they didn't see us!" Happy said, poking his head out of the hay. Suddenly, the wagon started to drift away, and down the hill, much to the chagrin of the Fairy Tail cats. Carla slipped, as Happy reached back, and grabbed her paw.

"Don't worry Carla!" he said, "I'm going to protect you!"

"Happy," Carla said softly, even despite everything that was happening. Eventually, the wagon stopped, and the two were spilled onto the ground.

"Are you okay, Carla?" Happy grumbled weakly.

"You're probably worse off than I am," Carla answered, as she got up, before helping Happy help as well. Looking around, Carla pointed.

"Look!" she said. Happy looked to where she was pointing, and saw a truly colossal lacrima, the size of the Edolas Royal Palace.

"That must be where the rest of Fairy Tail is," Carla said.

"I know that other one was too small," Happy said, he then glanced down, "Look at the city!" Carla looked off the edge, and saw the Royal City far beneath.

"So Extalia is another one of those floating islands?" Carla said, "I guess that makes sense. Making sure the humans have to look up to see them."

"How are we supposed to get down?" Happy asked.

"I'm not sure we'll be able to," Carla answered. The two started in silence for a time, before someone new claimed their attention.

"Hey you varmits!" a very angry voice snapped.

"They found us!" Happy cried as she and Carla turned. But instead of a platoon of guards, they saw a white Exceed with a strange black beard, carrying a hoe.

"So you're the fallens we heard about?" he asked, glaring at them. Happy and Carla were silent, something the farmer clearly didn't like.

"GAAAH!" he roared, "Get off my property!"

"I'm sorry!" Happy cried.

"MEOW!" Nichiya yelled from atop a cliff, "Spread out and find those fallens! They could not have gotten far!"

"They're catching up," Happy said.

"GAAAH!" the farmer yelled again, "I told you take a hike!"

"Alright, we're leaving!" Happy said.

"Now come to my place!" That was not what Carla and Happy expected. The farmer lead them to a house that looked earlier similar to his face. Happy took note of that, and got yelled at once again for that.

"So why are you helping us?" Happy asked, "Are you waiting for the soldiers!"

"GAAH!"

"I'm sorry!"

"Welcome home, dear," a blue female Exceed came up, "I presume the fields are working well?" She then took notice of the two youngers.

"So we have some guests?" she said, smiling, "What're your names?"

"Well I'm Happy."

"And I'm Carla."

"Beautiful names," the wife said, smiling, "Now come inside. Its time for lunch." Once they got in, Carla and Happy summed up what had happened to them. They also learned that the couple's names were Lucky and Marl.

"That sure is troublesome," Marl commented with a look of concern, "You must be famished." She then set down a fresh fish, much to Happy's joy.

"Thank you!" Happy said, words Carla echoed softly.

"GAAH! Use that trap for eating now yammering!" Lucky bellowed.

"Aye sir!" Happy said.

"Sorry for that," Marl said, "But husband has always been very vocal, especially about the kingdom. That's why we're here on this farm."

"So that's why you helped us?" Happy asked.

"GAAH!" Lucky thundered, "You going to stay, you're going to work!"

"Aye sir!"

**(in the desert)**

The Fireball rumbled down the road, as Lucy and Natsu sat in relative silence. Their minds were rather distracted. Lucy decided to try and finally break the ice.

"So, you didn't have time to refill?"

"No, that would mean going into town," Natsu answered, "Besides, its not like there's anything left in the whole kingdom." Lucy sighed, as she stared out the window.

"Man I envy our doubles," she said. Natsu glanced at her. He remembered Dragneel's words.

"Don't worry," he said, trying to make a move, "I can get us out of here. You can trust me." Lucy glanced at him, before smirking.

"Don't tell me you're trying to make yourself look good," she said.

"Well," Natsu said, "I've got look good, especially to hold up next to you."

"Are you flirting with me?" Lucy said, "Because if you are…." She then told Natsu to pull over, which he obliged…. and later regretted, as Lucy dragged him out.

"You're going to be punished!" she said

"No please!" Natsu begged, as Lucy leapt on to his back, and started contorting him.

"I know that guy told you to 'go for it', but you aren't going to do anything fast with me!"

**(in Extalia)**

Happy, now wearing some farming clothes himself, was dusting off the patio, as he sighed.

"I'm glad he's letting us hide here," he said, "But he's so angry. But he probably wouldn't like that so I'll keep my fish hole shut!"

"GAAH!"

"I'm sorry!" Happy said, as he swept harder.

"Sweep it so clean that you can eat off it!" Lucky said, "You're chopping firewood next!"

"Aye sir!" Once Happy was done, he was dragged onto the chopping block, where he quickly chopped a large block.

"Well, that was easy," Happy said with a smile.

"GAAH! You slacking off?!" Happy glanced at Lucky, and noticed that he had a small stack of wood already.

"Wow, so quick!" Happy said, before his face clenched in determination, "Alright! Then I'll show you what I can do!" He then started chopping wood, as Lucky did the same.

"Aye sir!"

"GAAH!"

"Aye sir!"

"GAAH!"

"Aye sir!"

"GAAH!"

"Aye sir!"

"GAAH!"

Eventually the two were down to one last log each. They both brought the axe down, splitting the wood. They chopped so hard, that a piece from Happy's log hit Lucky in the head, just as a piece from his log hit Happy's head, sending the two sprawling to the ground. The two looked up, and laughed slightly.

"GAAH! Why ya' laughing!" Lucky roared.

"I though you were laughing!" Happy answered. On the patio, Carla was peeling apples.

"You're quite good at that," Marl said, as she came up.

"Its not that hard," Carla answered softly.

"Why don't you smile?" Marl asked gentle, "Without a doubt, your smile is beautiful."

"I just…. don't have anything to smile about," Carla said.

"There is always something to smile about," Marl responded, "Even when it seems like there is nothing good in the world, you can find something, you need only look hard enough." Carla remained silent.

Eventually, when Happy and Carla were done, they rested on the porch. Marl came up behind them, carrying a couple of juice glasses.

"Fresh apples juice," she said kindly, before handing the glasses the two, "You two aren't from here are you? You're one of the children from Earthland, yes?"

"Aye."

"Who gave your names?"

"My best friend, Natsu!" Happy said.

"My friend Wendy also gave me my name," Carla said.

"They're being held captive down in the Royal City," Happy explained, "We need to rescue them!"

"Rescue humans?"

"I know that its not a popular opinion here in Extalia," Carla said.

"Actually I think its a very good idea," Marl answered, smiling, "Friends are friends. Human or Exceed. We may be completely different, but we all share the same feelings."

"Feelings?" Carla asked.

"Those are what defines your friendship," Marla explained, "And they are no doubt the same as Exceeds." Carla started at the ground.

"I'm not even sure my feelings are my own anymore," she said, "For all I know, someone else is speaking my words for me."

"Of course these are your words!" Happy declared, "These are our feelings right now! Our feelings to save our friends!"

"I can understand this feeling of loss," Marl said, "But I'm positive that everything'll turn out alright. Especially with your loyal knight here." Happy flushed a crimson red, at the mention of that.

"Just give yourself the time to recognize your feelings, and you can find them," Marl continued. Carla looked at her, before slowly smiling. For the first time Happy could really remember.

"If you don't mind me saying," she said, "You're a rather strange lady for Extalia."

"How so?" Marl asked with a smile.

"Well, everyone says that Exceeds and humans are like angels and dirt," Carla said.

"It is quite a story, but I'll confess, I used to think that myself," Marl explained, "But then I realized the truth of our so called goddess of a queen, when she took away one hundred unhatched children to Earthland to hunt Dragon Slayers. My child was among them. And because Lucky and I spoke up against it, we were exiled to this farm. But during that, I realized that we weren't gods, much less angels. Just people who loved their children."

"GAAH!" Lucky bellowed as he came back up, "Stop telling them everything!"

"I'm afraid its too late," Marl answered.

"Now get out!" Lucky snapped at the younger Exceeds, "We ain't letting you live here!"

"We don't have too…." Marl didn't finish. But it wasn't from Lucky.

"We have to go!" Happy declared, "We have to save the others!" Carla stood up and nodded.

"Just remember, as long as you're letting fear hold you back, you ain't going to do anything," Lucky said. With that the two ran off towards the ledge.

"Come back anytime!" Marl called.

"GAAH! Never come back!" Lucky yelled. As Happy and Carla approached the ledge, Happy turned to Carla.

"You ready?" he asked.

"Without a doubt!" Carla answered.

"You know, I was really scared," Happy said, "But now…"

"I know," Carla answered, as the two leapt off the cliff, "We need to fly to our friends!" With that, their wings emerged from their back, and they swooped down towards the city. Lucky and Carla watched from their farm.

"GAAH!" Lucky said, "So he did learn to fly!"

"He looks a lot like you," Marl said.

"No way!" Lucky answered, "I fly much better than that! He didn't learn properly!" Marl smiled sadly, as tears gathered in his eyes.

"Do you think that's his girlfriend?" she asked.

"GAAH!" Lucky said, also crying, "He's way to young to bring a girl to the house!"

**Note: I'm sorry this followed so close to canon. Next chapter will hopefully have more deviations. There's not that really much to talk about here. It just sort of went the way it needed to. I would really love Happy to get stronger in this arc, but I'm not entirely sure how to.**

**Be sure to review.**

**On an unrelated note, I'mc currently watching RWBY. Maybe you'll get some fanfics about them from me.**


	52. Subject S

_**Subject S**_

"So the Earthland mages really do have magic?" Byro asked, "_Kegh! Kegh! Kegh! _That is an interesting development." He and the rest of the military council was assembled, with the king also present.

"Hmmmm, so they're like Exceeds?" Sugarboy asked.

"Though surely they can't compare Exceeds, right?" Cocoa asked. Nobody actually answered that.

"Then that should mean that the blonde should have magic in her as well, right?" Hughes asked, "If that's the case, why should we kill her? Just take magic from her too."

"No," Faust said, "Queen Shagotte has ordered her death."

"The queen ordered her death!" Cocoa asked, "But… but… she's pregnant. We'll be killing an innocent baby."

"I don't like it either," Sugarboy said, "But an order from a queen can't be defied."

"That sure sucks!" Hughes said.

"Where does that leave the Dragon Slayers?" Pantherlily asked.

"They're not fully human," Byro explained, "We can potentially merge their power with that of Subject S, since their magical signature is rather similar. Once we put the two together, we could have an indefinite amount of magic at our disposal."

"That's awesome!" Hughes said.

"Yeah! That's wonderful!" Cocoa said, having forgotten that Lucy was pregnant.

"Begin immediately," Faust said, "We must do it as soon as possible. Dismissed." The group then began to file out.

"What are you planning on doing once we got infinite magic?" Hughes asked.

"Hmmm, maybe going to the ocean and surfing?" Sugarboy suggested.

"That sounds like tons of fun!" Cocoa said. The only one who hadn't left was Pantherlily.

"Is there a problem?" Faust asked.

"Your Majesty," Pantherlily said, "Do you think its possible to perhaps stall the girl's execution? The child is innocent."

"Are you questioning my orders?" Faust said, shooting a glare at the panther. Lily was silent, before he took a breath.

"No," he answered, as he also left.

**(in the prison)**

Lucy went over what she heard about Happy and Carla, about they were Exceeds.

"So the Exceeds are angels, and their queen is a god?" she mused, "Well, that must not do people any favors. And if she points to a random person and says 'die', the person has to die? That's stupid!"

"You're well informed," Erza said as she approached the cell, and entered it.

"Erza!" Lucy said happily. Erza narrowed her eyes at Lucy.

"That face," she said, "What's with it?"

"Oh, sorry," Lucy said smiling slightly, "I guess I know the Earthland version so well, I just sort of loosened up on reflex."

"So you know the Earthland version of me?" Erza asked.

"Well, you are part of Fairy Tail," Lucy said. Erza suddenly looked straight at her.

"What?" she said, deathly calm.

"Well you're strong, your cool, everyone trusts you, but you can also be really sweet when you need to," Lucy said, "And you really like…" She was silent as Erza started dragging her away by the hair, out of the prison.

"You talk too much," she said, "And here I figured you'd know I wasn't the Erza you know. You're rather stupid."

"Please stop!" Lucy said, "You're going to hurt my baby! Erza wouldn't do that!" She was then thrown against the side of the balcony.

"You've got to have something in common other than your appearance!" she said, "You have to…" She was silenced when Erza's spear suddenly swooped up, and held her over the edge.

"Will you be quiet already?" Erza said. Lucy let out a cry.

"Stop!" she cried, "You'll hurt my baby!"

"So?" Erza said coldly.

"Okay!" Lucy cried, "I admit it! You aren't my Erza! My Erza isn't anywhere near this vile and cruel! Do whatever you want with me! But don't hurt my baby!"

"Your child is born of Fairy Tail," she said, before grinning maliciously, "And as the Fairy Hunter, it is my role to kill them. And I won't lie, its pretty amusing." Lucy glared hard at her.

"Got anything to say?" Erza asked.

"Only this," Lucy said, "When Natsu finds out what you did, you will burn. As will your bastard of a king, and this whole damned kingdom! You'll be lucky if there's ash left when Natsu's done!" Erza sneered.

"I doubt it." With that, she dropped Lucy, who cried out. As she plummeted to the ground though, she heard a familiar voice.

"Lucy!" Suddenly, Lucy was swooped up, as Happy caught her, and pulled her back up. Carla flew up next to them.

"Exceeds?" Erza asked.

"Thanks a bunch!" Lucy said.

"Aye!" Happy answered.

"What are you doing?" Erza asked, "The Queen's orders were to execute the girl!"

"Well, seeing as the order was to kill the girl, and not her child, I believe you're in violation," Carla said. Erza cringed.

"You may be an Exceed, but the Queen is far above both of us," she said, "Please hand over the girl."

"How dare you," Carla said darkly, "You are addressing the daughter of Queen Shagotte, Crown Princess Carla of Extalia!" Everyone cried out in shock.

"Your Highness!" Erza said, falling to one knee, "Forgive my impudence!"

"Where are the Dragon Slayers?" Carla inquired.

"I…"

"Do I need to repeat myself?"

"They are in the basement of the West Tower."

"I see," Carla said, "Release them this instant."

"I…. I don't have the authority," Erza said.

"Do I look like I care?" Carla snapped, "Do it this instant! Or would you rather the Queen…"

"Captain Knightwalker!" Pantherlily yelled as he ran up.

"That's an Exceed!" Happy cried.

"Do you guys know him?" Lucy asked.

"Those are Fallen Exceeds!" Lily roared, "They're fugitives from the kingdom!"

"What?" Erza asked. Carla cringed.

"Let's go!" she instructed.

"Aye!" Happy said as he flew them away As Erza watched them, her face contorted in rage.

"I will rip them to pieces!" she growled. Meanwhile, Lucy and the Exceeds made their escape.

"Thanks for saving me," Lucy said, "You saved my baby too."

"You aren't angry?" Carla said.

"Why would I be?"

"We were the ones to lead you into that trap," Carla said.

"But, again you saved me and my child," Lucy said, "That more than makes up for everything. I'm most surprised that Carla's the daughter of the Queen."

"That is pretty awesome," Happy said.

"You are aware that is a bluff," Carla said.

"Oh," Lucy said, "Sorry." Happy just smiled.

"What are you smiling about?" Carla asked.

"Just, that was pretty cool," Happy said. Carla flushed red, which didn't go unnoticed by Lucy.

"Keep focused!" Carla said, "We need to find Natsu and Wendy! They are in the West Tower! We head there!"

"Aye ma'am!" Happy said. However, as they flying, there was a faint flapping sound. In the sky appeared a swarm of shapes.

"What's that?" Lucy said.

"Oh no," Carla muttered. Swooping down towards the group, was a swarm of Exceed warriors

"Meow!" Nichiya said, "We have finally found the Fallen!"

"So many cats!" Lucy said.

"They finally found us!" Happy said.

"Come on!" Carla said, as she started flying down, "We have to get to the ground!" However, as they started to flying down, they noticed the battalion of soldiers, with the captains assembled beneath them.

"Its the Royal Army!" Lucy said, "We're cornered!"

"Can't you use your magic?" Carla asked

"Not with this goo on me! And besides, none of my spirits can take on all these people!"

From the balcony of the courtyard, the king watched, as Cocoa buzzed behind him.

"The forces of Extalia are attacking!" she said, "They are pushing the Fallen!" Faust clinched his fists.

"Its time," he said, "Invoke Code ETD. And send a message for Byro. Prepare Subject S."

"Ye… yes," Cocoa said. But she did not truly know how to react to that.

Suddenly, a horn sounded out, as several banners rose, much to everyone's surprise.

"Code ETD?" Erza asked.

"The final plan, hmmmm?" Sugarboy said.

"What's all this?" Lucy asked.

"It doesn't matter!" Carla said, as she pointed, "There attention isn't on us! Get inside!" As the group escaped, several strange cannons were mounted on the castle walls. Without missing a beat, they fired. But they weren't at the Fairy Tail mages.

"Meow?" Nichiya said, as suddenly a massive light encompassed him and the others, "What is this!" Every Exceed was consumed in this light, roaring in pain. As Lucy was gentle set on the floor inside the walls, she looked up.

"They're attacking the Exceeds?" Lucy asked, "But they're angels, aren't they?"

"The people are rebelling," Carla noted, "But its not our problem. Our problem is saving our Dragon Slayers." With that, they hurried down the hall.

Eventually, the Exceeds were fully consumed. And from the light, a massive lacrima shaped like a cat dropped to the ground. The soldiers just stared in awe at the sight.

"Did that just happen?" one asked.

"Did we just turn on the Exceeds?" another asked.

"These creatures are not gods!" Faust said from atop the balcony, his arms spread, "And yet we've been living under their heel for so long! They greedily horde their magic, while we suffer with so little! No more! If the Exceeds will not share their magic, it will be taken! Rise up! Take our place, and let the Exceeds cower before the true power of Subject S! This is Code ETD!" The soldiers all cheered.

"This is totes a big deal," Hughes said, "We're finally doing it."

"Hmmm, it was inevitable," Sugbarboy said. Pantherlily clenched his fists as he heard all of that.

"So this was this buildup was about?" he muttered

**(below the palace)**

"I heard Code ETD is being invoked," Byro said, as he readied his machine. Both Natsu and Wendy were restrained on a pair of rocks, in a massive cavern beneath the palace.

"I guess now's the time for us to act. _Kegh! Kegh! Kegh!_" Wendy weakly looked up, glaring at him.

"Why are you doing this?" she demanded.

"Is it not clear?" Byro asked, "You're natural abilities give you an immense source of magic power. What we plan to do is take it." Natsu let out a growl, as he tried to lunge at him, but the restrains prevented him.

"You think we're that powerful?" Wendy asked, "Enough to sustain you forever?"

"Of course not," Byro said, "You're here to add to another source."

"Another source?" Byro took a step back.

"Allow me to demonstrate to you, Subject S!" Byro said, holding up his hands. Natsu and Wendy looked up, and through the shadows. They saw a massive shape. But once their eyes got adjusted, they saw what it really was. And they were so amazed, their fear was briefly overcome by it.

It had a long neck, with a rounded head; it had a large mouth, with massive teeth. It had a sleek, lean body, with four legs, ending in massive hooked claws. Framing its body were a massive pair of wings, with the wing joint having three fingered hands. It had a long tail, with a thin sail down the length of the tail. Chains were on the wing hands, as well as around its neck, arms, and legs, coming down from the ceiling. In its back, were several massive tubes, that were running up into the ceiling. Glowing purple energy was going through the tubes.

Subject S was a dragon.

**Note: So this is what Subject S has been all this time, a dragon. More details to be revealed later.**

**I based the design of the dragon on the Gore Magala from the Monster Hunter franchise. I wanted a creature that looked truly monstrous. This will be where it starts to really deviate from canon. I was originally going to call it "Code ETD", but "Subject S" was more attention grabbing.**

**Be sure to review.**


	53. Särakaotus

_**Särakaotus**_

"A…. dragon?" Wendy murmured. Natsu's jaw would've been on the floor, if not for the goo that covered his mouth. _So dragons still exist?_ he thought.

The dragon was indeed a sight to behold, but both Wendy and Natsu knew that something was not right. It's dark purple scales looked dull, its claws seemed blunt, and its wings were tattered. It looked like a being that once was truly magnificent, but had since fallen to decay.

"Over four hundred years ago, this beast appeared in the skies of Edolas, only to plummet to the ground," Byro explained, "It was weak, and vulnerable. It did not take long for people to realize the power it held within. A power we could claim for ourselves. We created this titanic device to harvest its magical energy. Its sustained this city on its own power for all this time. Using the dragon's power, we were able to create the Dragon Chain Cannon, along with many other great feats. The creature's name, is Särakaotus. Some also knew it as the 'Eclipse Dragon'."

"'Eclipse Dragon'?" Wendy asked. She quickly ran her memory. Grandeeney had told her about other dragons that Wendy would have to watch over. Admittedly, Wendy was quite long at the time, and wasn't always paying attention, but she did remember some names. Was "Särakaotus", or some kind of "Eclipse Dragon" among them?

"Yes, but 'Subject S', is far easier to say."

"How are you doing this?" Wendy asked, "There's no way any dragon would work with people as horrible as you!"

"Well, its not as if it had much of a choice. It was too weak to fight when we captured it, and hooked it up," Byro answered, "In addition, those tubes which extract its magic are also keeping it in a forced slumber. The creature has been sleeping for centuries."

"How could you do this to such a proud creature?" Wendy demanded. Natsu's eyes glowed angrily, and if he had been able to speak, he probably would've said the same thing, albeit with more profanity.

"_Kegh! Kegh Kegh!_ Necessity is greater than even the Queen," Byro answered, "This dragon has been the lifeblood of our kingdom."

"Then why do you still need to steal magic? Why do you have to destroy guilds?"

"Well we can't have others wasting it, the power of Subject S may be vast, if not infinite, but you can never have too much. Besides, they only ever had magic by our good graces. They don't deserve it! Not to mention chasing guilds is quite entertaining!" Wendy looked up towards the dragon.

"Dragon!" she called, "Särakaotus! Please hear me! You have to still be in there somewhere!" However, the dragon remained completely still.

"Its been in that state for hundreds of years," Byro said, "You think your voice will awaken it after all this time. This creature is but a shell of what it once was. Glorious as it could've been, it isn't anything remotely like it now." Natsu was staring up at the dragon in silence. It had been so long since he'd seen a dragon, and he couldn't take his eyes off of it. _Could it potentially know where Igneel and Grandeeney are?_ he thought.

"You're a monster," Wendy muttered, tears welling in her eyes.

"Again, necessity is what is most important," Byro said, "And that is ironic coming from you, seeing as your probably closer related to Subject S than you are to me."

"His name is Särakaotus!" Wendy snapped, "He's a dragon, not some tool!" Natsu let out an angry grunt. Byro just laughed.

"No, I'd say its a tool through and through," he said, "As you are to be." He then held up a large device to Wendy. Natsu roared in rage, though it wasn't very effective under the goo. His chest was glowing bright. The goo seemed to be restricting all of his magic power, but if it wasn't, he'd be raging in Dragon's Eye, if not Dragon Aspect.

"As your magic is being extracted, it will merge with that of Subject S. Take the combined power of three dragons, and with what we're about to do, we will truly have infinite magic!"

"What're you going to do?" Wendy demanded. Byro smirked darkly.

"I suppose there's no harm in knowing now," he said.

**(down the hall)**

Lucy and the Exceeds hurried down the hall, trying to find the way towards where the Dragon Slayers were being held. Lucy was being held by Happy, since she couldn't run with her swollen belly.

"Why would the humans turn on the Exceeds?" Lucy asked, "Aren't they angels?"

"Only in name," Carla answered, "But it doesn't matter what's going on. Its not our problem!"

"What's going to happen to Natsu and Wendy?" Happy asked.

"If those ministers from Extalia are to believed, their magic is going to be extracted," Carla answered, "And this'll have something to do with this 'Subject S'!" Suddenly, they were intercepted when a spear landed in front of them. Lucy recognized that spear.

"Erza!" she yelled, "Don't you have bigger problems than us!"

"Perhaps, but you're far too infuriating to let go," Erza answered. Suddenly, the spear glowed, and there was a sudden massive explosion, sending the group flying. Lucy twisted so that she landed on her back, holding tight onto her stomach.

"So you're still alive, huh?" Erza said as she and her soldiers approached, "Well, that's a feat in of itself." Suddenly, there was a massive screaming sound from down the hall. The group recognized that scream.

"Wendy…," Carla whispered.

"You bitch!" Lucy hissed, "What're you doing to Wendy?"

"We're taking her magic, as well as that of that overgrown salamander, and adding it to that of Subject S," Erza explained.

"For crying out loud!" Lucy snapped, "What is Subject S?!" Erza paused to think.

"Well, you're going to die anyway," she said, "So I'll tell you. Subject S is the code name for the dragon, Särakaotus." That caught the group off guard.

"There's a dragon here?" Happy asked.

"The dragon has been here since the time of my ancestors," Erza explained as she pulled the spear out of the ground, "Its been the essence of our kingdom. This spear, the Ten Commandments, was forged from one of its teeth by my great-grandfather's great-grandfather. It is through its power, that we've managed to conquer almost all of the world." There was another scream from down the hall. It was Wendy's scream again.

"Wendy!" Carla cried. The cries echoed across the hall, as tears began to stream down her face.

"Stop it please!" she begged. Lucy was going to cry as well, but suddenly a shoot of pain went through her belly. It was immense dread that she realized that it was a contraction, as a wet feeling began to go down her legs.

"No!" she cried, grabbing her stomach, "Not now!"

"What's wrong Lucy?" Happy asked.

"The baby's coming!" Lucy cried. That got everyone's attention.

"She's giving birth?" one soldier asked.

"I'm not trained for this!" another said. A third went up to Erza.

"Captain Knightwalker," he said, "If she's giving birth, shouldn't we…."

"NO!" Erza declared, as she heaved up her spear, "The girl must die!" Suddenly, Happy stood in front of her, holding up his hands.

"I won't let you hurt Carla, Lucy, or her baby!" he declared, "I'll protect them all!" _Happy…_ Carla thought. Erza looked over Happy, and her teeth clenched.

_(Flashback)_

_In a small house on the edge of the Royal City, a young Erza Knightwalker was playing in a small pond._

"_Erza!" her mother called, "Come in please!" _

"_Coming, Mommy!" Erza answered, as she ran up to her house. However, when she got in, she noticed several Edolas soldiers. But she also noticed several large cats in armor. Exceed Royal Guards. But what Erza really noticed was her father, who was sitting on a chair, his face solemn._

"_Mommy?" Erza asked._

"_I'm sorry, baby," her mother said, "But mommy is going to have to go away for a little while."_

"_Go away, but why?" Her father had his fists clenched._

"_Is this truly necessary?" he said, "This woman is of no true consequence."_

"_The Queen has spoken," an Exceed said. But he didn't say anything else after that._

"_Goodbye Erza," the mother said as she rose to her feet, and stepped forward, "You promise not to take my daughter?"_

"_The decision is the Queen's," the Exceed said. He then held up his fist, and socked her in the face._

"_Mommy!"_

"_Take her away!" the guard ordered._

"_Mommy!" Erza cried, as she tried to reach for her mother, as she was dragged away by Exceed guards. The Edolas soldiers were all bowing before them, as Erza's crying father was holding her back._

"_Be strong, Erza," was all her mother said as she briefly looked back, "I'll always be with you…"_

_(End Flashback)_

After losing her mother, Erza had been taken in by her father. There, her father trained her how to fight, and bestowed the familiar heirloom, the Ten Commandments. He once told her that the greatest thing a warrior can have is conviction. And Erza found that conviction: destroy Extalia, and the Exceeds.

"Taste my vengeance," she said, as she began to bring her spear down on Happy.

Suddenly there was a large explosion from behind them. Everyone turned, and saw several soldiers being blasted away. Three figures appeared through the dust.

"You'd so readily kill an innocent child?" a familiar voice said, "That's beyond twisted." Lucy, cringing through another contraction, looked up.

"Our code in the guild is protect people," another voice said. One much more familiar voice. Erza heard that, and her eyes widened.

"That's… impossible," she said. Then the dust fully cleared, and revealed three people. Standing before everyone was Gray Fullbuster, Juvia Lockser, and Erza Scarlet. Erza Knightwalker just stared in utter shock.

"Another Captain Erza?!"

"And aren't those others Gray Surge and Juvia Amezo?!"

"No, those are the one's from Earthland!"

"You know, Juvia," Gray said as he stepped forward, "we've never actually got a chance to fight together before."

"Should we make this our first time?" Juvia asked, as she offered her hand.

"I'd say so," Gray answered with a smirk, "Now let's go!" With that, he and Juvia clasped hands, and launched forward.

"Freezing Torrent!" they said, as they thrust their hands forward. There was then a massive swirl of icy water, that blasted away all the soldiers. The only one to dodge was Knightwalker, who leapt into the air. But she didn't aim for Gray or Juvia. She aimed for Scarlet, bring down her spear. Once the spear and the sword collided, there was a burst of energy. But neither knight flinched.

"Erza vs Erza?" Lucy muttered, before crying out, as she felt another contraction.

"Lucy!" Juvia said, as she ran over to her.

"We got to get her to Wendy!" Carla said, "She may not be able to do anything with child birth, but she may be able to do something to help."

"Go ahead you two!" Scarlet called back, "Protect Lucy!" After freezing the goo off, Gray picked Lucy up.

"Let's go Juvia!" he said. In another time, Juvia would've shouted at Lucy, but this was now, and Juvia was willing to do it herself. With that, the group ran down the hall, as the two Erzas clashed.

**(down the hall)**

"You three were the only ones in the plaza?" Happy asked. He and the others were running down the hall towards the cavern where their Dragon Slayers are supposed to be being held.

"Yeah," Juvia answered, "That giant lacrima was just Erza, Gray and myself."

"Then how'd you get out of it?" Happy asked.

"Gajeel helped us," Gray answered.

"Gajeel's here?" Lucy asked, still in Gray's arm, holding tight to her stomach.

"So is Levy."

"That's right!" Carla said, "Gajeel is a Dragon Slayer too! That means the Anima didn't work on him!"

"Mystogan then sent him up here too," Gray explained, "From the looks of things, Dragon Slaying magics able to undo what happened to those turned to lacrima."

"Really?" Carla asked, "Wendy and Natsu can turn the others back to normal?"

"Carla and I know where the lacrima is!" Happy said.

"Really?" Gray asked.

"Aye!"

"Gajeel's tearing up the entire city!" Juvia said, "You have to go find him!"

"Aye ma'am!" Happy said as he flew away, as the others kept on running.

Eventually, they came up to a large door, which Juvia blasted open with her water. Byro had managed to slip away by the time the group arrived, finding both Natsu and Wendy unconscious. But what they actually noticed first, was the massive dragon that was suspended from the ceiling.

"Is that a…," Juvia began.

"There really is a dragon down here," Happy murmured.

"Hate to ruin the sense of awe, but giving birth here!" Lucy snapped.

"Oh yeah!" After removing the chains, the Dragon Slayers flopped to the ground.

"Natsu!" Lucy cried, "Put me down Gray!" Gray was inclined to protest, but still gently set Lucy down beside Natsu. The blonde cupped her boyfriend's face.

"Natsu!" she said, "wake up!"

"Wendy!" Carla said, as she jumped to her friend, "Please forgive me!"

"Come on flame brain!" Gray said, "You got to get back up!"

"Have they taken any X-Balls?" Juvia asked.

"What?" Carla asked. Juvia pulled out a small vial of red balls.

"Those were the balls that Natsu and Wendy took when they got here!" Carla said.

"Well that removes that as an issue," Gray said, "But they're still unconscious." Lucy snuggled up to Natsu, as she let out a gasp from a contraction.

"Come on you big idiot," she said softly, "You've got to get up. I need you now more than ever. its coming. Our baby. You're about to be a father." Suddenly, Natsu's chest lit up like a furnace, as he grabbed Lucy's hand, and his eyes opened wide.

"Natsu!" Gray and Juvia said in unison, as they smiled.

"Lucy," he said, as he stroked Lucy's face, and then looked at her stomach, "Our kid is coming?" Lucy just nodded. Natsu clenched his fists, as he rose to his feet.

"You guys are here to?" he asked, looking at Gray and Juvia, "How'd you get here?"

"Its a long story," Juvia said.

"And you're welcome for saving you," Gray said. He half-expected Natsu to leap at them, but the Dragon Slayer didn't.

"We've got to end this now," he said. Right then, Wendy started to get wake up as well.

"Wendy!" Carla cried happily.

"Carla?" Wendy asked weakly, "You're alright?"

"I'm so sorry!" Carla cried, hugging Wendy's chest.

"We have to do something!" Wendy said, "The Royal Army…. they're going to use the lacrima as a bomb! They're going to kill all our friends!"

"What?!" everyone save Natsu asked in surprise.

"By funneling our magic, as well as that of Särakaotus, into the Dragon Chain Cannon, they're going to smash the island with the lacrima into Extalia! Then it will cause eternal magic to rain down on Edolas!" As the news was setting in, Natsu looked up at the dragon.

"I'm going to wake up Särakaotus!" Natsu said firmly.

**Note: Well, a lot is coming up now. The thing about Lucy's status as pregnant, she can't really fight. So I decided to have her give birth now. Don't worry about Lucy being removed from the story, she's not**

**I decided to give Knightwalker a more personal story about the Exceeds. Why it all happened will be explained further on. I also decided to split up Scarlet and Knightwalker's fight to the next chapter, since If figured it deserves more.**

"**Särakaotus" comes from the Estonian word for "eclipse".**

**Be sure to review.**

**On an unrelated note, having recently caught up with RWBY (which I highly recommend), I'm going to start working on a story for it.**


	54. Erza vs Erza

_**Erza vs Erza**_

"You wanna run that by us again?" Gray asked.

"I said was going to wake up the dragon," Natsu said, glancing at his guild mate, "Got a problem with that?"

"Aside from the fact that that's a giant dragon that could probably destroy the entire city?"

"That's the whole point," Natsu answered, "Särakaotus can take on the entire army, and win!"

"And what's stopping him from turning on us, and killing us?" Gray inquired, folding his arms.

"Come on Wendy!" Juvia said, "You know Gray's right!" Wendy had a feeling she was only agreeing with Gray because it was Gray.

"Well, dragons are very firm believers in honor," Wendy said, "If someone does something like this for them, they are honor bound to assist them."

"If we release him, Särakaotus will be in our debt," Natsu explained, "He'll have to help us. A dragon's honor is the most important thing to him."

"Maybe it was important to your dragon, but maybe this dragon will wake up, see more of the humans that chained it up, and gets really, really, REALLY mad!" Gray said, "Don't do this! Its not like there's any dragon police to make him follow his honor code." Natsu paused briefly to think about it.

"Too late!" he said, "Already made up my mind." He then inhaled.

"Natsu!" A massive cloud of dragon fire consumed Särakaotus. The tubes that were connected to his body, withered, and turned to dust, as the chains suspending him melted away. Särakaotus fell to the ground, free. But he didn't wake up.

"He's not waking up," Juvia said.

"Give him a second," Natsu said.

"I, for one, don't have a second!" Lucy snapped, "In case you've forgotten, I'm giving birth here!"

"Wait, you're giving birth!" Wendy said, as she hurried over to Lucy, "I've got to treat you!"

"Come on you stupid dragon!" Natsu yelled, "Wake up already! You owe me!" Särakaotus didn't even twitch.

"He'll wake up," Natsu said, "He has to."

"Keep focused!" Carla said, "We have larger problems than a comatose dragon at this point! Now Wendy, what were you saying about their plan to smash the island with the lacrima into Extalia?"

"Well, the extraction of magic from dragons is used to power the Dragon Chain Cannon," Wendy explained, "Using that, they were planning on dragging the lacrima island, and smashing it into Extlia. The two massive amounts of magical force would cause them to fuse, and magic would bind to world itself. They'd truly have eternal magic."

"Then the guild members will be killed!" Juvia said.

"That's insane!" Natsu yelled, "We've gotta stop them! Wake up Särakaotus!"

"Stop trying to wake it up!" Gray said, "It isn't going to work!"

"What are we going to do about Lucy?" Wendy asked.

"I'm also curious about that," Lucy forced out through another contraction, "Don't forget I'm in labor!"

"I can use my magic to keep her stable, but I can't perform child birth," Wendy said, "I'm not a doctor!"

"Just do all you can," Natsu said, before bending down to his girlfriend, "Don't worry, I'm not going to leave your side." Lucy shook her head.

"No," she said, "You've got to save our friends."

"But…"

"Go get those bastards!" Natsu paused, before nodding firmly

"Don't worry, I'll be back for our kid's birth," he said, kissing her, "Keep an eye on the dragon, he may wake up at anytime." With that, he, Gray, and Juvia, all ran down the hall.

"By the way, you should know that Erza's fighting the other Erza down there," Gray said.

"TWO ERZAS!"

**(down the hall)**

Scarlet and Knightwalker crashed their weapons together again. Using her spear as a pole vault, Knightwalker sprung into the air, before kicking down at Scarlet, who blocked with her gauntlet, and pushed her off. She then swung up with her sword as Knightwalker brought down with her spear. The resounding force forced each other back. A knick appeared on both of their faces.

"Its an eerie feeling," Knightwalker said, wiping the blood away, "Fighting against myself."

"I'm not you," Scarlet said, "Don't even entertain the notion that either of us are similar."

"Well then, I'm the Commander of the Royal Second Division, Erza Knight…"

"I don't care," Scarlet interrupted, "All I need to know is that you were trying to hurt Lucy. That is more than enough to make you my enemy. But you were also trying to hurt a completely innocent baby. My obligation as a knight means that I must defeat you."

"You're a blunt woman," Knightwalker said, "I almost respect that. Keyword being 'almost'. Let's see if you have the skill to back it up." With that, her staff glowed, and began to reform itself.

"Taste the power of the Ten Commandments, forged from one of the teeth of Särakaotus itself! Sylpharion!" With that, the she sprung at Scarlet, slashing at her. Scarlet managed to deflect all the separate strikes.

"Not bad," she said, "Fine, I'll play your game, Flight Armor!" Re-quipping into speed based armor, she launched at Knightwalker, who barely had time to block the strike. _She can change her armor?_ Knightwalker thought.

"Fascinating," she muttered, as she altered her spear again, "Mel Force!" She then sprung at Scarlet, crossing weapons with her again. However, this time, the force of strike blew Scarlet back.

"Her weapon changed!" Scarlet said.

"How observant!" Knightwalker said, "But observation isn't enough!" The weapon changed again, and when she brought it down, there was a massive explosion, that blew into another chamber. However, Scarlet re-quipped into her Flame Empress Armor.

"So you've got the power to alter both your armor and your weapon on command," Knightwalker noted.

"And you have the power to change your weapon's form," Scarlet said.

"The Ten Commandments does more than that," Knightwalker answered, "It can also increase my personal strength."

"It seems uncomfortably similar to my ability," Scarlet said, "That idea that you and I have something in common makes my stomach churn."

"You're way to serious about all of this," Knightwalker said, "Enjoy our duel. This is a once in a lifetime experience."

"The only thing I'm going to enjoy is knocking you to the ground," Scarlet said, as she took a battle stance.

"Do you really think you can defeat the Ten Commandments?"

"Last I checked, I wasn't fighting that spear, I was fighting you." With that, the two sprung at each other again, and clashed weapons. The resounding force blew them both back again. As Knightwalker was being thrown into the air, she repurposed her spear again.

"Gravity!" The spear then came down with immense force, so much so that it crushed the floor beneath their feet, with Scarlet only just managing to dodge.

"Sylpharion!" As Knightwalker darted past, Scarlet managed to barely dodge the strike by re-quipping into her Flight Armor again. After receiving the strike, she re-quipped into her Lightning Empress Armor, thrusting forward with her lighting halberd, sending a bolt of lightning towards them.

"Runesave!" Knightwalker literally cut the lightning, sending it away from her. Scarlet then sprung at her again, as they clashed weapons.

"Not bad," Knightwalker said, "Your armors are quite impressive."

"This weapon is also impressive," Scarlet said. She then summoned a sword into her other hand, and swung it at Knightwalker's throat, who leaned back.

"A compliment from you?" she sneered, "I thought that would be impossible."

"I complimented your weapon, not you," Scarlet said, "I thought I made it clear that I have no respect for those who would threaten a child's life!"

"Your idealism is making me nauseous," Knightwalker said.

**(in the city)**

Gajeel had been knocking out wave after wave of soldier, while Levy was questioning the still conscious guards. Though she hadn't been getting anything of value.

"Levy!" The blue head turned, and saw Happy flying towards.

"Happy?" Levy asked, "You're here too?"

"Its a long story," Happy said, "But we found out where the lacrima with the others is!" That was all Levy needed to here.

"Gajeel!" she called. Quick to respond, the Iron Dragon Slayer ran over. And once the three were all in a safe spot, Happy quickly summed up what happened, especially what had recently happened.

"Lucy's gone into labor!" Levy cried, "That's both wonderful and terrible!"

"Forget bunny girl, what about the dragon that's under the castle!" Gajeel said.

"Don't forget about the lacrima!" Happy said, "Gajeel can save everyone!"

"Alright!" Gajeel said, "Take me up there! I'll smash it to bits!"

"Where does that leave me?" Levy asked.

"There's a secret entrance into the palace," Happy explained, "Go to the east wall, and find a red brick! That's where it is!"

"The East Wall's probably really big place to look," Levy said, "I don't know if there's time to find it!"

"Sounds like a 'you problem'," Gajeel said, "Just go find bunny girl and her egg! Take me away cat!"

"Aye sir!" Happy said, before grabbing Gajeel and flying up.

"Stupid Gajeel!" Levy yelled.

**(in the halls)**

"Do we even know where we're going?" Gray asked.

"Juvia is following you," Juvia said.

"Hey, if we keep going down the halls we'll get somewhere, right?" Natsu said.

"If this place wasn't the size of Magnolia alone, I'd agree, but this place is freaking huge!" Gray said.

"Yes!" Juvia chimed in as she and the boys emerged into a large area, "Juvia wouldn't be surprised if there was an… amuse…ment… park." The group stopped cold, as they saw a massive…. amusement park, complete with roller coasters, water rides, merry-go rounds.

"Juvia was wrong."

**(in the cavern)**

Carla glanced at the unconscious dragon again. While it had been motionless all this time, she was still uneasy knowing such a tremendous monster was lying there. Wendy was using her magic on Lucy, who was now crying out rather loudly.

"How long is this going to take!" Lucy yelled, as she grabbed at her stomach, "Why won't this thing come out!"

"I'm sorry Lucy!" Wendy said, "But I don't know anything about childbirth! We need a real doctor!"

"Well I DON'T think any doctor is going to hep ME!" Lucy said, as she felt another surge of pain, "Not with what we've DONE! Do you think we COULD force one?"

"If we knew where to find a doctor, then maybe," Wendy answered, "But save your strength. You'll need it for the baby." Lucy just nodded, before clenching her teeth again. During all of this, Carla just watched. Wendy looked at her.

"Carla, what do you think we should do about Extalia?" she asked.

"What do you mean?"

"I agree WITH Wendy," Lucy said, "We can't LET Extalia be DESTROYED!"

"I liked Lucy's idea of forcing a doctor," Wendy said, "We can fly up and warn them!"

"No!" Both Wendy and Lucy were shocked at that.

"I don't care!" Carla said firmly, "We don't need to do anything for them! I don't care about he Exceeds! As far as I'm concerned, they deserve what's going to happen to them!"

"Don't talk like that!" Wendy scolded, "If we talk like that, then we become the same as the kingdom!"

"But…"

"This isn't a matter of human or Exceed," Wendy explained, "Its a matter of living creatures. And as Fairy Tail mages, we need to protect living creatures."

"I can't let my child be born on the heel of so many deaths," Lucy said, having managed to suppress her pain thanks to Wendy. Carla was silent. Marl and Lucky both came to mind. They were both completely decent Exceeds.

"Let's find a doctor to take care of Lucy!" Wendy said. With that Carla slowly nodded, and picked Lucy up. With that, they hurried down the hall.

During this, the dragon remained still. However, for a brief instance, a purple glow flashed across the top of its head.

_**Extalia….**_

**Note: More will be explained further about what's going on. I've also got a plan with Lucy, since I needed to get both Wendy and Carla to Extalia somehow. And don't worry, we'll see the dragon soon enough.**

**I'm hoping to have major deviations from canon soon, but I want to showcase some of the Edolas characters.**

**Be sure to review.**

**Also, be sure to check out my new RWBY story, **_**Paint it Black**_**.**


	55. E-Land

_**E-Land**_

Soon, Gajeel could see the giant lacrima, as Happy lifted him up.

"Hopefully Levy will be able to find the others," Happy said.

"Don't worry, the shrimp's smart," Gajeel said, "She'll do it!" Happy grinned.

"You liiiike her!" he said.

"If you weren't carry me!" Gajeel snapped angrily. Happy just chuckled, as he looked up the lacrima as they were getting closer.

"You can turn everyone back, right?" he asked.

"You bet it!" Gajeel answered, "I'll smash it to bits!"

"You sure it will work?"

"I'm doing what Mystogan said," Gajeel answered.

Eventually, they reached the island, and Happy dropped him off. It was much bigger up close.

"Well, nothing to do but start!" Gajeel declared, "You owe me a whole junkyard worth of iron when this is done!" He then held up his sword arm, only for a huge sword to come down. On the other end was Pantherlily, who had a pair of wings coming out of his back.

"He's an Exceed!" Happy declared in shock.

"Stand back, cat!" Gajeel said, as he held up his sword, "Iron Dragon Sword!" He then launched his sword at Pantherlily, who managed to dodge, and brought down his sword, which Gajeel managed to dodge. The slash took out a chunk of the island.

"That sword!" Happy cried.

"Do you really think you can beat me?" Pantherlily inquired.

"Well, its not like I've got much of a choice," Gajeel answered.

**(with Lucy and Wendy)**

Carla was carrying Lucy down the hall, as Wendy ran alongside them.

"How are your contractions?" Wendy asked.

"Not as bad thanks to you, but they're still popping up," Lucy answered, holding her stomach.

"We need to find a doctor soon!" Wendy said.

"Actually, I have another solution, princess," Virgo said, as she popped into existence.

"Virgo!" Lucy said, almost being dropped by Carla, "What're you doing here?"

"I heard that a new young master or mistress will be born soon," Virgo explained, "As such, it would be remiss of me to not help in his or her birth."

"Can you deliver a child?" Lucy asked.

"Indeed, in my years I have acquired quite a number of skills," Virgo answered, "I can also take you to safety, and protect you during the birth." There was a brief silence.

"That… actually makes a lot of sense," Carla said.

"Why didn't you think of that before?" Lucy asked.

"Because it slipped the writer's mind," Virgo answered.

"The writer?" **(I'm sorry, but this was a glaring flaw I did not take notice of until earlier; I'll go jump in a lake now for this joke)**

"Now, perhaps you two have somewhere else to be?" Virgo asked, taking Lucy up in her arms.

"I guess so," Wendy said, as Carla picked her up, "Thanks for your help!" With that, Carla took off into the air, and Virgo started running down the hall with Lucy.

"Where's Sir Natsu?" Virgo asked, "I would expect he would be here for the birth of the young master or mistress?"

"I don't know," Lucy said, holding her stomach, thinking_ He better be here for his child's birth!_

**(further in the palace)**

Natsu, Gray, and Juvia could only stare at the sight of the colossal theme park that was before them. It was all they could really do with sight like this.

"This place is getting weirder by the minute," Gray said.

"You kidding me!" Natsu said, beaming, "This looks like tons of fun!" He attempted to run into the park, only to be grabbed by the scarf by Gray.

"I know you've got a short attention span, but have you already forgotten that you're girlfriend is giving birth?" he asked.

"Oh yeah, that's right," Natsu said, blinking slightly.

"Mmmmmm," a voice said. The group liked over, to see the merry-go-round running. Riding it was Sugarboy.

"Denying yourselves the chance to ride the merry-go-round is a very bad idea," he said, "It can truly be quite pleasant." The group could only stare, until a massive looming ship seemed to appear over them, sending the group sprawling to the ground in surprise. It turned out to be a swinging ride.

"Forget 'pleasant', 'fun' is a much better word," Hughes said from atop the ship, sneering down at them, "And I seriously don't want all this to be lost."

"So we won't let any of this be lost," Sugarboy said, "And it doesn't matter who we have to step on."

"The way I see it, you have two options: go back to prison, or die," Hughes said, before pausing, "Actually strike that, you're going to die no matter what so…. I guess you could stay here and just get it over with."

"Mmmmmm," Sugarboy said, "It would be more efficient, especially since the Dragon Slayers have done their task. Subject S is still there anyway!"

"His name's Särakaotus!" Natsu snapped, "And you can't control him anymore! I destroyed his binds! He's free!" Gray and Juvia exchanged glances. It would probably be better if they didn't find out the dragon was comatose.

"WHAT?!" both commanders snapped.

"You let the dragon go?!" Hughes yelled, "Are you insane?!"

"Probably," Gray answered.

"Well, it doesn't matter," Hughes said, his face contorted with rage, "Once we're finished, we won't need Subject S anymore! Let's kill these damned invaders!" He then held up some kind of glowing wand, as the swing ship he was on suddenly lifted into the air, and charged the mages.

"Scatter!" Natsu yelled. The three Fairy Tail mages leapt out of the way. Gray then brought his hands together.

"Ice Make: Lance!" Several streams of ice shot from his hands, and blasted at Hughes, who only just managed to avoid the attack.

"That ice came from thin air!" Hughes said.

"So Knightwalker wasn't joking after all about Earthland magic," Sugarboy mused.

"Well, it doesn't matter," Hughes said, "You're on our turf, and now…"

"I've got better things to do than deal with you!" Natsu declared, as he rocketed at Hughes, and punched him through the air, "My baby's going to be born! I'm not going to miss it because of a bunch of stupid assholes! No give us back our guild!"

"Hate to…. the hell am I saying? I'm glad to tell you that said guild will become Edolas magic power!"

"You bastard!" Natsu snapped, as his chest started to glow. Suddenly, what looked like a roller coaster shot at Natsu straight out of nowhere, something Natsu easily avoided. However, Hughes waved his wand again, sending the train twisting around back at Natsu.

"My wand can control every attraction in this park," Hughes explained. It then shot at Natsu again. However, Natsu held his ground, as his chest remained lit up.

"Get out the way Natsu!" Gray yelled, "You know you can't handle transportation!" But Natsu didn't move an inch.

"You stupid…" Hughes' cackle didn't finish, as Natsu let out his Fire Dragon's Roar. The dragon fire consumed the car, and when it faded, the car was completely melted. Hughes' jaw dropped in horror. Even Gray and Juvia were shocked at that.

"In hindsight, maybe we should've seen that coming," Gray said.

Hughes just stared in horror at the Dragon Slayer before him. That was when he saw it, looming behind Natsu. Now he had seen Subject S, so it wasn't like he'd never seen a dragon, but this time…. The looming, serpentine shadow, with glowing eyes, and broad wings. It made his very soul began to tremble.

"What next?" Natsu growled.

**(in the throne room)**

Faust tapped his finger on the throne. He was normally a patient man, but that was beginning to fade rather quickly.

"Your Majesty!" Byro said, as he hurried forward, "It seems…."

"The link from Subject S has been severed, I know," Faust said, "It is of no consequence at this point."

"No consequence?" Byro asked in shock, "That creature is still a monster of unmatched power! If it were to awaken…"

"It has been comatose for over four hundred years, it practically dead," Faust insisted. Byro clenched his teeth, wringing his hands.

"We've enough energy to use the Dragon Chain Cannon," Faust said, "And one that is done, Subject S will be completely irrelevant." He then rose to his feet, holding out his hand.

"The key?" he said. Byro then held out a key with a dragon insignia.

"Wait, your Majesty!" Cocoa said as she scurried forward.

"Cocoa!" Byro scolded, "Don't go scampering around like that!"

"Lily is on the island!" Cocoa explained, "If we use the cannon, Lily is going to die!"

"And?" Faust responded coldly. The air grew so still that it could've solidified.

"But… Lily's our friend," Cocoa said

"Don't be naive girl!" Byro snapped, "What's important isn't the individual life! Its the whole kingdom!" Cocoa clenched her fists in frustration. When she heard that the blonde was to be executed, even though she was pregnant with a child that had not done a thing to anyone, she began to question the orders given. Was eternal magic truly worth murdering innocents? But she had still agreed, albeit reluctantly. But now…

"No!" she cried, as she snatched the key away, "I won't let Lily die!" With that, the girl began running as fast as her legs could carry her, though she didn't get far before a searing pain shot through her feet, knocking her to the ground

"Coco," the king said sternly, his staff still smoking, "I remember you running everywhere like you always had somewhere to be. But now…." There was another blast from his staff, as he shot at Cocoa's feet. Byro couldn't help but cringe.

"Hand over the key," Faust growled. But Cocoa rose to her feet, and started running once again, out of the throne room.

"You don't need to be told what to do, Byro," Faust said.

"Yes!" Byro said as he started waddling after her.

As Cocoa ran, her fleet continued to bleed, but she didn't stop. Tears streamed down her eyes as she only focused on what was in front of her. _I want eternal magic!_ Cocoa thought_ I want the kingdom to be prosperous! But if the same kingdom orders the death of children, and its own soldiers, then I don't want to be part of it!_

**(in E-Land)**

Natsu's sudden display of power had unnerved Hughes more than a little, but he hadn't given up. Which had proven a bad idea on his part. During this, both Gray and Juvia had ran after the fleeing Sugarboy, the couple concluding that the Dragon Slayer probably needed this venting.

"See that weirdo anywhere?" Gray asked.

"No!" Juvia answered. Eventually, the two came to a fork in the path.

"You go that way!" Gray said, "I'll go this way! If you find the weirdo, be sure to kick his ass!"

"You know Juvia will!" Juvia said, as she turned down her own corner, and continued running. As she did however, she rather promptly fell to the ground, with a rather prominent "bang".

"Ow!" Juvia said, rubbing her head as she looked up. She then noticed a small girl with a puppy like face on the ground before her.

"Wait, who are you?" Juvia asked.

"Tch! Cocoa stop!" a voice roared, as Juvia saw a short, goblin-like man running in their direction.

"Please!" the girl begged, "You have to help me!" Juvia then took notice of her feet.

"What?" Juvia asked in shock, "Your feet!" She then gathered some cold water, and poured it over Cocoa's feet, who at first cringed, before letting out a sigh of relief as the cool water lessened the pain slightly.

"You have to take this!" Cocoa said, holding up the key, before she hesitated. _This girl's of Earthland!_ she thought _If I give her the key…_

"Damn it, Cocoa!" Byro growled as he came up, "For the last time! Give me the damn key!" Juvia glared up at the man.

"Juvia doesn't know who you are!" she declared, "But you're pretty clearly the enemy! So you must be defeated!" Byro glared at her.

"I have no interest in you outworlder!" he growled, "Step aside, and let me deal with these affairs!"

"As a member of Fairy Tail, Juvia is not permitted to do that!" Juvia answered, "Now take this!" Several lashes of water shot at Byron, who, caught off guard, was knocked away.

"That water came from her body!" Byro said. Cocoa could only stare in shock at the demonstration of Earthland magic.

"You'e clearly outmatched!" Juvia declared, "Give up now and…."

"Flame Liquid!" A splash of red liquid was sent at Juvia, who expected it to simply pass through her. However, there was a massive explosion that set the Rain Woman careening away.

"What?" Juvia asked, "My body…"

"That's the magic he wields!" Cocoa said, "That liquid!"

"Storm Liquid!" The liquid that Byro threw suddenly turned into swirling wind, which sent Juvia careening away. Juvia let out a gasp, as she looked up at Byro.

"Alright!" she hissed, "No more Ms. Nice Juvia! Water Nebula!" The stream of water blasted itself at Byro who was sent careening away by the water. Juvia let out a gasp, panting slightly. Cocoa just stared in amazement. _She's so strong_ she thought _Maybe the key would be safe with her. Maybe…._ Right then, a massive tentacle shout, and snagged Cocoa. Juvia looked up in shock, as a massive creature rose out of the city.

"An… octopus?" Juvia asked. It may have sounded weird, but that was what it was. An octopus with Byro's face.

"Octopus Liquid!" Byro ruled as he loomed over Juvia, "It tastes terrible, but things that are good always do! It doesn't matter what kind of magic you use, I'll always have something to respond!" Juvia glared, as she was struck with a tentacle. Fortunately her Water Body prevented her from doing any damage, but then Juvia held up her finger.

"Water Sniper!" she said, sending a thin blast of water of Byro's face, who blocked with one of his tentacles.

"Didn't you just hear me?" Byro sneered, "You can't do anything against me!" Juvia ran her options, not entirely sure what to do at the time. She knew that she couldn't afford to wait at this point, not with her guild in danger, and Lucy giving birth. She she decided to do what she knew necessary.

"Water Hydra!" One of her hydra heads erupted out of her back, and shot at Byro's head, gnashing its teeth. Unprepared for this, Byro got his face engulfed in its head. This caused him to drop Cocoa. In response, Byro's tentacles lashed out blindly. Using her hydra as an anchor, she heaved herself up towards where Byro's head was. She then produced a second hydra head, which grabbed Byro by the shoulder.

And after that, Juvia yanked Byro down, sending him careening head first into the cement. But Juvia wasn't done. She released the hydra's hold over Byro, before gathering them both together, and shooting down towards him. The combined blast of water struck Byro square in the chest. Byro let out a final "kch", before losing consciousness. Juvia dropped to the ground, before sitting down, retracting both of her hydra heads.

"Juvia!" The water mage looked over his shoulder, and saw Natsu running up to her.

"Natsu!" Juvia said, smiling, "Where's…"

"Aw man!" Natsu whined, "You knocked him out! I was hoping we could beat information out of him!"

"What about…"

"Cooked and also knocked out," Natsu answered. Cocoa stared in surprise. _Both Byro and Hughes were beaten? _Natsu then took notice of the unconscious Byro.

"Is that an octopus?" he asked. Juvia ignored him, and went over to where Cocoa was.

"Are you alright?" she asked, bending down.

"Y…yes," Cocoa said weakly, before holding up the key, "But you need to take this! Its the key to the Dragon Chain cannon!"

"Isn't that the thing they're going to use to smash the lacrima into Extalia?" Juvia asked.

"I don't want eternal magic, if it means that innocent people and friends have to suffer," Cocoa said weakly, "You have to destroy the key."

"If we destroy the key, then the cannon is useless," Juvia said.

"Alright then," Natsu said, holding out his hand, "Just let me…" However, before he could take it, it was snatched away by a guy sliding on his belly.

"Mmmmm!" Sugarboy said, "You know better than to give something like that to the enemy!"

"You bastard!" Natsu yelled, as he started to run after him. However, a motorcycle dashed by, with Gray on it.

"I'll do it!" he said, "You guys see if you can't get more information out of these people!" With that, Gray blasted after him.

**(in the caverns beneath)**

Särakaotus remained still, so still it was as if he were dead. But then, a very faint glow began to emit from his forehead.

**(with Gray)**

"In Edolas, persistence is frowned upon!" Sugarboy said, as he looked over his shoulder smugly.

"You really think I give a damn about what this crapsack of a country thinks?" Gray asked.

"Suppose it doesn't matter at this point," Sugarboy said, "They're no way you can beat me anyway." He then dragged his sword against the floor, as a large depression seemed to appear in it. But it didn't stop there. Soon the entire floor seemed to be caving in, as Gray twisted around to avoid it.

"What's that key?" Gray demanded.

"The key to the Dragon Chain Cannon," Sugarboy answered, "No point explaining beyond that." Gray remembered what Wendy told them. He figured that the cannon was going to be their means of doing it.

"Why don't you hand over the key and spare each other all the usual schtick!"

"I'm afraid I can't allow that," Sugarboy answered.

"Then the usual schtick it is!" Gray said, putting his hand on the floor, "Ice Make: Floor!" Much of the floor then turned to ice, but Sugarboy maintained his superior expression.

"Silly boy," he said, "Ice doesn't work for me!" He then waved his sword over the ice, as the ice suddenly seemed to splash away.

"My Rosa Espada can turn anything soft! Including ice!" Sugarboy declared. However, he soon found himself careening out of control.

"Soft doesn't mean dry," Gray responded, "Seems its still slippery!" As Sugarboy went head first into a wall, Gray leapt at him.

"Ice Make: Hammer!" A hammer of ice bore down onto Sugarboy, who held up his sword, rendering the hammer harmless. But in that interval of distraction, Gray grabbed at the key.

There was a brief moment of pause, as the two looked at the situation they were both in. Gray had frozen both the key, and their hands.

"How cold Snow Boy," Sugarboy said.

"Don't you go calling me names!" Gray snapped.

"Why don't you let go now?" Sugarboy asked.

"You are away that this situation hasn't changed," Gray asked.

"Is that so?" Sugarboy answered, "You are aware a key this valuable won't break easy, right?"

"Who said we need to break it?" Gray asked, "Our plan is to prevent you from using the cannon. All that we need to do is ensure that it can't be used."

"All I need to do is soften the ice," Sugarboy answered, "I'm one of the greatest sculptors in Edolas. I can tune this ice like its nobody's game. After which it will be your turn." With that, the two began freezing, then softening, freezing then softening, freezing then softening, and so forth. Until all of a sudden, a small crack appeared on the key. Sugarboy let out a very unmanly scream.

"Alright, then keep breaking!" Gray declared.

"No!" Sugarboy, "We can't let it break!"

"The hell we can't!" Gray responded, "If it means saving my friends, I'll crush that thing to dust!"

"You don't understand!" Sugarboy said, "You need this key too!"

"The hell do you mean?!"

"The cannon fires concentrated magic drawn from a dragon, plus two Dragon Slayers!" Sugarboy explained, "I presume you know what it can be used for in this world!" Gray actually had that to him. He remembered what Gajeel said to him, but still.

"We've got three Dragon Slayers!" Gray said, "We don't need your damn cannon!"

"That lacrima is almost as big as the palace!" Sugarboy said, "It would be days before you could do anything, and that's time you don't have! If you want to save your friends, you can't destroy the key!" There was some silence, before Gray's teeth clenched, and his grip tightened. Right then, the key shattered, much to Sugarboy's horror.

"You stupid idiot!" Sugarboy cried, "I wasn't bluffing!" He then thrust Rosa Espada at him, only for Gray to easily avoid it.

"W'ere going to home!" Gray declared, "Whether you like it or not! Ice Make: Impact!" He then slammed his palm into Sugarboy's chest, and with a n explosion of ice, sent Sugarboy careening away, defeated. Gray dusted his hands off, as he took a breath.

"My Prince!" Juvia called, as she came running up with Natsu. Natsu then grabbed Sugarboy and started shaking him.

"Alright!" he snapped, "Start talking how do we save them!"

"Relax Natsu," Gray said, as he held up his hand, making his own version of the key, "We've got a plan. Now all that we need to do…."

"Is come with me," Erza's voice said. Everyone turned, expecting their guild mate to come up to them. However, instead, they saw Erza Knightwalker approaching them.

"We've got something to do," she said, as everyone stared in horror.

**(in the caverns beneath)**

A glowing violet eye opened.

**Note: He's awoken. There's going to be trouble.**

**I know I rushed the fight in E-Land somewhat, but Natsu, at this point, is NOT playing around. Lucy's in labor, and he wants to be there when his baby is born, so he doesn't have time to screw around with these punks, and neither do the other Fairy Tail members. **

**I'm currently working on EOTBD, but the current arc is proving very boring, and uninteresting to write. Its literally just redoing canon with minor differences. EOTFD and FoF has enough differences that it makes writing these stories more interesting.**

**Be sure to review.**


	56. The Death of a Kingdom

_**The Death of a Kingdom**_

With a massive "shink", Pantherlily's sword collided with Gajeel's Iron Dragon Scales, deflecting the blade away.

"Quite impressive," the exceed said, "You Earthlanders are certainly fully of surprises."

"Dragon iron isn't anything like regular iron," Gajeel said, "No blade can pierce me."

"Then I will remedy that!" Pantherlily declared, as he swung his sword again, only for Gajeel to jump out of the way.

"Why are you doing this?" the Dragon Slayer demanded, "You're one of those cats too, aren't you? Why are you with Edolas?"

"Aye!" Happy piped up, "You're an exceed like me! Maybe you'd like to share a fish?" Pantherlily was silent for a time, before bringing his sword down again, only for Gajeel to block it.

"That country is of no concern to me at this point," Pantherlily said, "I forsook those arrogant fools long ago!" Happy was surprised at that. He'd never seen an exceed that anti-Extalia in his time in Edolas. Gajeel also seemed rather surprised, but then began to snicker slightly.

"I've decided," he said, with a rather excited grin on his face. With that, the Buster Arm suddenly broke apart.

"I'm going to make this guy my cat!" Gajeel declared.

"EHHH!" Happy cried out in surprise, "Are you crazy?"

"I won't let myself be outdone by Salamander or his sister!" Gajeel declared, "Even in terms of cats!" He then slammed into Pantherlily, knocking the exceed to the ground, before inhaling, and letting loose his Iron Dragon's Roar. The first was so great, it blew a hole clear through the island. At first, Gajeel was confident that he had won, but then through the dust, Pantherlily emerged, and slammed his fist into Gajeel's face, sending the Dragon Slayer careening away.

"You're not bad, I'll give you that," Pantherlily said, dusting his hands of slightly, "But not bad doesn't cut it."

"Well then its a good thing I'm 'pretty damn awesome'!" Gajeel said, as he emerged. With that, the two warriors charged each other again.

**(in the Royal Palace)**

Virgo had carried Lucy deep through the halls of the palace, towards what was hopefully through the outside. Virgo had offered to smash through walls, but since she was carrying Lucy, the blonde had turned her down. However, Virgo was moving so fast, it was by sheer luck that she didn't more Levy down.

"Lu?"

"Levy?" The two girls had a sudden exchange of what was happening. Levy explained how she got there, and how she had managed to find a secret entrance on one of the walls. Lucy then explained what was happening to her.

"You're giving birth!" Levy cried out, "Here and now?"

"Believe me, I'd rather be doing it literally _anywhere_ else, but I don't the little one inside of me is inclined to listen," Lucy explained.

"We need to get you out of here!" Levy said.

"I am currently in the process of doing that," Virgo said calmly, "If you would so wish, you may climb on my back, and join us."

"But the others…."

"Are almost assuredly fine," Lucy said, "My Natsu would incinerate anyone in his path at this point. So let's get going!" With that, Levy climbed onto Virgo's back. But there was a sudden pause.

"Do you feel that?" Levy asked.

"That rumbling," Lucy murmured.

**(somewhere else in the Royal Palace)**

Erza dragged three unconscious mages behind her, towards the chambers of the Dragon Chain Cannon.

"Captain Knightalkwer!" one of the guards said.

"So you beat that Earthlander? Are you alright?"

"Am I walking?" Erza asked.

"Well… yes."

"Then I'm alright," Erza answered, "I assume the preparations are all in order."

"Yes, but what about these three?" the other guard asked.

"One of them just so happens to be our key," Erza answered, "Now come. We've got more important things to think about at this point. Such as eternal magic." With that, Erza marched into the chamber.

"Captain!" Faust said, as he turned to see his soldier approaching, "Do you have the key?"

"Sadly no, but fortunately the black haired boy is able to make a new one. He's a mage of Earthland, and one of the Dragon Slayers' allies. I imagine he was freed by a third potential Dragon Slayer. Its not impossible."

"I suppose not, but it doesn't matter," Faust said, "Get him to make one!"

"Wake up!" Erza said, kicking Gray in the gut, "You've got work to do!" Gray grunted as he slowly rose to his feet. He then noticed Erza holding a sword to Juvia's neck.

"You know what will happen if you don't," Erza said. Gray growled, but obeyed, and walked over to the cannon's fire system. The cannon itself was a true monstrosity, with so many tubes and systems that he couldn't count them. Gray took a breath, and held out his hand, forming a new key. _I've only got one shot to hit the lacrima and save everyone._ He then put the key into the keyhole, as the cannon seemed to flare to life. A maniacal grin appeared on Faust's face.

"Now…." He didn't finish.

"Natsu! Juvia!" In a torrent of fire and water, several the guards were sent careening away. Before Faust could respond, a sword was put to his neck by Erza.

"If you want you're king's head to remain where it is, you'll do exactly what I say!" she declared.

"Knightwalker, what are you…," Faust then saw Erza's body glow. When the glow faded, it revealed, Erza wearing armor that showcased the Fairy Tail mark.

"I am Erza Scarlet of Fairy Tail! I am of Earthland!"

"Was kicking me in the gut really necessary?" Gray asked, frowning.

"Yes."

"Oh my beloved!" Juvia said as she hurried over to Gray's stomach and nuzzled it, "Let Juvia kiss it well!"

"This worked great," Natsu said, grinning, his chest glowing, "Now all we've got to do is redirect the cannon!"

"Do that," Erza said, "Change the aim to island with the lacrima."

"Strike that order!" Faust said, "Forget about me and just destroy the damn exceeds!" The soldiers were left confused about what to do, as they glanced at each other. They were being forced to choose between their king's orders, and his safety. Eventually, the latter won out, and they began to redirect the cannon.

"Good, now fire, or you're king dies!" Erza instructed. But before they could begin powering up the cannon, there was an angry yell of "SCARLET!". Everyone looked up, and saw Knightwalker baring down on them with her Ten Commandments, and her hair cut short, so as to differentiate herself. Scarlet was forced to release the king, so as to block the attack.

"His Majesty is free!"

"Quick, re-aim the cannon again!"

"Yes!" Faust roared, "Now fi…" Suddenly, a massive rumbling shook through the whole room, no, the whole palace. That caused the soldiers to all hesitate as they looked around. They knew it couldn't be the cannon, as it hadn't been fired yet. Then….

"What is that?" Juvia asked, looking around.

"I've no idea," Gray answered. But Natsu did. He could sense it, the presence that was approaching. He looked down, and noticed a few cracks.

In an instant, the ground exploded, as a massive purple claw emerged. Everyone's attention, even the Erzas stopped their fight to see what was happening. The claw then grabbed onto the side, as a massive form heaved itself out of the ground. A form that was very familiar.

"Särakaotus!" Natsu cried. It was indeed, Särakaotus, the Eclipse Dragon, finally standing again after all the centuries. Now that he was awake, he seemed different. A violet grow emanated down the length of his body, starting on his forward, and traveling down his spine. A pair of horns had also lifted up from his head, and his eyes were glowing a brilliant violet.

"But how… that's Subject S!" a soldier said.

"I thought it was dead!" another said. Faust could only stare in horror as the beast rose up. _It… can't…. be…_ The now free dragon then reared up, and for the first time in four hundred years, roared. The roar was so loud, it did not just shake the palace, but seemed to shake the whole world.

**(with Wendy and Carla)**

Wendy and Carla had been ascending towards Extalia, when they both suddenly heard a tremendous roar coming from beneath them.

"What was that?" Carla asked.

"A dragon's roar," Wendy said, before shouting, "Särakaotus has woken up!"

"What?!" Carla asked in shock, "You mean that beast actually managed to regain his senses!"

"It seems so!" Wendy said, "Come on we have to get to Extalia! Now we have to warn them about the dragon!"

**(on the lacrima island)**

The group by the lacrima also had their attention taken by the roar, as they all looked down.

"That can't be!" Pantherlily said in shock, "That's Subject S!"

"Hell no!" Gajeel said, "That's a friggin dragon!"

**(below)**

Särakaotus let out another angry roar, as he stomped around, sending soldiers careening away left and right.

"Run!" Scarlet yelled to her guild mates, who quickly obliged, and started bolting away. Scarlet herself escaped Knightwalker, whose attention was now on the creature she knew as "Subject S".

"What about our friends?" Natsu demanded.

"We'll find another way!" Scarlet said, "The Dragon Chain Cannon plan obviously won't work!" With that, the Fairy Tail members made their escape. The Edolas natives, however, had the bright idea to try and fight the dragon.

"Take this!" Knighwalker said, as she thrust her explosion spear at Särakaotus, only for it harmlessly bounce off. Särakaotus glanced at her, before snapping at her, as Erza only barely managed to get out the way. The dragon then opened his wings, and in a single flap, was in the air. He then opened his mouth.

"**Hear me people of Edolas!"**__he boomed**, "I am Särakaotus, the Dragon of the Eclipse. For 400 years you used me like I was some item that belonged to you. But now you will see the penalty that comes with trying to enslave a dragon, and you will see my vengeance!"** He then inhaled, before, with a massive roar, exhaled a deep purple substance at the Dragon Chain Cannon. The substance seemed to consume the cannon, before it began to wither away, and fall to pieces.

"NO!" Faust cried, as he reached in vain to the crumbling hope. Särakaotus then flapped his wings again, ascending further into the sky.

"Assemble every Legion platoon!" Knightwalker ordered, "If we don't do anything, the entire city will be destroyed!"

**(in the city)**

The people were going about their lives, as the day started to come to the close. But everyone was still excited for the promise of eternal magic. However, all of a sudden, a shadow fell over not just a single part, but a whole city. Everyone looked up, and saw that the sun had been eclipsed. Not by the moon, but by the tremendous wings of Särakaotus.

"**Let them be the first to witness the horror that comes with earning my ire,"** he rumbled, before swooping down in their direction**, "Let this day, the Kingdom of Edolas end!"** Särakaotus opened his mouth, and let loose his breath attack over the city. The purple substance streamed over the buildings, as they all seemed to rot away. The people who had also been touched by the breath, seemed to whither away, as if the life was being siphoned out of them.

As Särakaotus finished his pass, he flapped back into the air. A swath of death had been carved out of the city in his back. But the Eclipse Dragon was _far_ from finished. He turned back towards the city, as he began a second pass, breathing more of his attack, causing even more destruction in the process.

Meanwhile, Erza and her platoon of legions managed to take the air. When Erza saw what the result of the dragon's rage, her horror reached new bounds. Massive gashes of destruction had been carved into the city by the breath of Särakaotus, and as the dragon performed his next pass, another one was created. The implication here was apparent, if the dragon wasn't stopped, the Kingdom of Edolas would die this day.

"Attack!" Erza ordered, as she and her forces charged, during which Särakaotus performed his pass. As the dragon swooped over the city, several legions attempted to strike him. However, the moment they got close, Särakaotus turned to them, and his breath consumed them, slaughtering the first wave. Erza managed to avoid the attack herself, and then her legion charged the dragon. However, the dragon swatted the legion away like it was nothing, sending Erza flying, only for her to be grabbed in one of his talons.

"**I know your voice. I heard it in my dreams while I was imprisoned,"** Särakaotus said.

"Why are you doing this?" Erza cried, "These people have done nothing to you!" The dragon narrowed his eyes, as he then looked over the destruction he had wrought.

"**This is dragon's justice. For every wound inflicted on the dragon, let ten wounds be dealt in response," **he said**, "And do not talk to me of harming people who had done no wrong. In my dreams, I could see what you had done. You stole away their livelihood, and persecuted them when they did what they had to survive."** Erza clenched her teeth, as tears began to flow down her face, looking over the ruined city.

"**You care for this kingdom,"** Särakaotus said**, "Very well, then you can watch it die!" **With Erza still in his talons, Särakaotus flew in the direction of the castle, much to Erza's horror.

"No please!" Erza cried through her tears, as the dragon inhaled, and let loose his breath attack over the palace. The walls rotted, as it began to crumble away into dust. Särakaotus then started flying around the palace, breathing more of his weapon. Soon, the entire castle began to crumble away.

**(in the palace)**

The Fairy Tail members all looked around as they noticed the castle started to collapse.

"The entire building's coming down!" Natsu said.

"Great Sparky! Want to say the sky is blue!" Gray snapped.

"Save it! Both of you!" Erza said, "We've got better things to do! Natsu! Get us out of here!" Natsu knew exactly what to do, which was to say, what he was best at: destroying. He gathered up his power, as he activated his Dragon' Eye.

"Let's go!" Natsu said, as he opened his fire wings, as he then flew straight forward, crashing through wall after wall, before finally bursting out into the open, as Fairy Tail escaped the collapsing structure.

**(somewhere else)**

"So this is my legacy?" Faust muttered as he watched the palace that had stood for centuries crumbled before the wrath of a dragon, "My kingdom's end." He knew that the fall of the capital, and with it much of the army, would inspire revolts throughout the lands that Edolas had conquered, and those who hadn't been conquered would be revitalized, and would move to strike against them. No matter by whose hand, the outcome was clear: the Kingdom of Edolas would fall.

**(with Särakaotus)**

Erza sobbed, as the dragon set her down. The only reason she was still alive, was so that she could be forced to watch what was left of her kingdom rot away. The dragon flapped back into the air, as he looked over the ruins of the city.

"The Kingdom of Edolas has ended," Särakaotus said, before looking to the sky, "Now Extalia must as well." With that, he beat his wings, and ascended towards the island.

**Note: So ends the Kingdom of Edolas.**


	57. Birth of a Dragon

_**The Birth of a Dragon**_

If looks could kill, Wendy would be dead several times over. That's what it was like as she walked down the roads of Extalia with Carla by her side.

"That's the Fallen," one Exceed said.

"And that's a human with her," another said.

"I need to see the Queen," Wendy announced, "Extalia is in danger from an unfathomable threat."

"Step aside!" Nadi instructed as he made his way forward, still pumping his paw, "It common knowledge that humans and fallen are forbidden from even coming close to Extalia!"

"There are far more important things, than that," Carla said, "For the sake of every life here, you have to listen to us."

"Care to tell us what happened to Nichiya and his men?" Nadi demanded.

"They were turned into a lacrima by the Edolas Royal Army," Carla answered. That created a silence throughout the people.

"That's impossible!" one Exceed declared.

"There's no way Sir Nichiya would be beaten by those lowly humans!" said a second.

"You don't have to believe it, because at this point, its not a problem," Carla said, "The Capital is in ruin, and the the Royal Army annihilated. The Kingdom of Edolas has been destroyed." Murmurs rippled through the crowd.

"Edolas has been destroyed?"

"What happens now? What do you think the Queen'll do?"

"You said there was a great danger," Nadi said, "Edolas is nothing to us. How did it even happen?"

"By the hands of the Eclipse Dragon, Särakaotus," Wendy said, "He was kept prisoner beneath the Royal Palace, as the kingdom harvested the vast magic power that a dragon wields. The dragon was freed by my brother, but in his rage, Särakaotus destroyed the entire city, as well as the palace. And now he's coming here. He partially blames Extalia for his centuries of torment, so Särakaotus will come here, and do the same."

"Extalia will cease to exist," Carla continued, "You must all leave." There was a silence, as everyone stared at the duo. Then, all of a sudden, there was a tremendous uproar of laughter, as the entire crowd started cackling.

"The idea of the Royal Guard being taken out by humans is ridiculous enough, but a dragon?"

"Dragons are just legends told as bedtime story for kittens."

"That's so stupid its hilarious!"

The only one who wasn't laughing was Nadi, who was starting to sweat slightly.

"Its true!" Wendy insisted, "Särakaotus will turn this land into a waste, just like he did to the capital!"

"Fine then, let him come!"

"The Queen will just blow him away with her magic!"

"Please listen!" Wendy begged, "You'll all be killed unless you leave!"

"Shut your trap!" one Exceed said, before heaving a rock at Wendy, socking her in the side of the head.

"Wendy!" Carla cried.

"You have no idea how powerful the Queen is!"

"We're Exceeds! We're greater than humans! We're greater than dragons!"

"Please stop!" Carla said as Wendy continued to get pelted by rocks. However, the rocks soon started flying at her as well. During all of this, Nadi watched in a state of pure terror.

"You should all just get out of here!"

"We're angels! Our Queen is Goddess!"

"And as long she rules, no harm will ever come to Extalia!"

"Please don't hurt Carla!" Wendy cried, "She's a fellow Exceed! Please listen to her!" All she got in response was "get out". During this, Wendy succored over to Carla, and wrapped her arms around her in defense.

"Wendy…," Carla whispered.

**(with Fairy Tail)**

The team looked over the ruins of what was the capital of Edolas.

"Juvia doesn't feel sorry for the kingdom," Juvia said softly, "But everyone down there…"

"Those were innocent people," Gray said, "They didn't deserve what the dragon did to them."

"This is what happens when you try to keep a dragon pinned down," Natsu said, "You get dragon breath."

"Maybe this wouldn't have had happened if you hadn't released him," Gray said, glaring at Natsu.

"Don't blame Natsu for this, he couldn't have known this would happen," Erza said, before looking back over the waste, "The fault lies in the Kings of Edolas who thought it was smart to keep a dragon bound under his city."

"What do we do now?" Juvia asked.

"Now we…."

"Natsu!" Levy's voice called. The group then saw the blue haired girl running over to them.

"Levy!" Erza said happily.

"Natsu! You have to come now!" Levy said, "Its Lucy!" That was all Natsu had to hear, and he took off, as Levy lead the others. They found Lucy with Virgo in a clearing, her legs spread. Natsu could tell what was happening, his baby was coming close.

"Natsu!" Lucy said, as she looked, and saw her child's father, smiling, "I'm so glad your here." She then held out her hand, which Natsu readily took.

"Well Princess, you are quite close," Virgo said, still calm as ever. She then took notice to the other Fairy Tail mages coming up.

"Ah good, more people here."

"Lucy!" Erza cried as she hurried to her friend's side.

"Erza," Lucy said, smiling.

"Your baby's coming!" Juvia said happily, as she knelt down beside her friend, "That's wonderful!" The only one who didn't say anything was Gray, but his eyes betrayed what he felt, which went without saying. Lucy then let out a cry of pain. Virgo then instructed her to start pushing, which Lucy did. Her hold on Natsu's hand began to tighten.

"GAH!" Natsu cried. Somehow Lucy squeezing his hand hurt more than Laxus' lighting. Lucy, in an attempt to take her mind off the pain, looked all around. Then she saw them all. Her friends, her guild mates, her family, as well as her beloved Natsu. Suddenly, the pain simply vanished, as tears streamed down her eyes. As long as she was with her friends, there would be no pain. And that was when she heard it. The soft crying…

"Its a boy."

Lucy looked up, and saw Virgo carrying a small bundle, and inside that bundle, was a sobbing infant, with a crown of pink hair atop its head. There it was, her son. She then reached out.

"Congratulations, Princess, you now have a young prince," Virgo said, as she handed Lucy her son. Lucy brought him close, looking into her son's crying face.

"Shhh… Shh," she said, "Your mommy's here."

Natsu couldn't believe it. Here, in the arms of his angel, was a son. _His_ son. _His_ hatchling.

"Look, its your daddy," Lucy said, turning their child slightly so as to let Natsu see him better. Natsu looked down, as his son opened his eyes for the first time, and looked up to see his father. He then stopped crying, as he looked up in curiosity. Suddenly, the world around them vanished. It was only Lucy, Natsu, and their boy.

"Hey, little guy," Natsu said, as he reached his finger down. The boy's hands then lashed out, and started grabbing at the air in an attempt to get at his father's finger. Lucy and Natsu chuckled slightly.

"Grabbing at everything he can see, just like you," Lucy said, before smiling at Natsu through her tears, "I'm so glad you were here for this."

"I couldn't miss this," Natsu said, kissing Lucy's forehead, "Not when its my boy being born. So what should we name him?"

"I want his name to mean something, like yours," Lucy said, "So I was thinking…. Haru."

"Spring?"

"He's our spring, like your our summer," Lucy said, looking down at their child.

"Our son, Haru," Natsu said, "I like that."

"Haru? Is that really the best thing you could come up with?" Gray asked. Suddenly, the world came back up, as did everyone else.

"You insulting my kid, Frosty?" Natsu growled as he leapt to his feet.

"No, I'm doubting your originality," Gray said, "Why not something like…"

"I don't want to hear your stupid names, Snowflake!" Natsu said, "And if you…."

"Not in front of the baby, you idiots," Erza said, konking both males on the head. Lucy just chuckled at that. Erza then approached Lucy, got on one knee, and drove her sword into the ground before.

"On my honor as a knight, I hereby pledge to protect this child with every ounce of my strength," she vowed, "As long as I draw breath, no harm will come to Haru Dragneel."

"Thank you, Erza," Lucy said, smiling.

"You did it Lu!" Levy said happily, hugging Lucy around the neck, "I'm going got be the godmother, right?"

"Not so fast Ms. McGarden!" Erza said, stepping forward, "I am Lucy's teammate, and practically her sister. Seeing as I can be a surrogate mother for the child, its clear that I should be the godmother."

"I've been Lu's friend since she joined the guild!" Levy said, "I'm certainly the most qualified!" Lucy let out a sigh, thankful that Juvia wasn't calling out like that. Then a shadow fell over them.

"Look out!" Juvia cried. Natsu immediately sprung at Lucy and Haru, shielding them from the legion that appeared over head.

"Earthlanders!" a familiar voice called. As it turned out, it was Cocoa on her back.

"You're that girl with that key!" Juvia said.

"What are you doing here?" Gray demanded, taking a fighting stance. Cocoa jumped off the back of her legion, staring at the ground.

"My kingdom is gone," she said slowly, "There's nothing left for me. But maybe…." She then clenched her fists.

"Maybe I can do some good on my own!" Cocoa said, tears welling in her eyes, "I'll help you save your friends!" Fairy Tail all stared at her.

"Why should…," Natsu began.

"We can trust her," Lucy said.

"Lucy?"

"A mother knows these things," Lucy said, cuddling Haru close to her chest, "I can see it in her eyes. She'll help us." The her all exchanged looks, but they all eventually relented, and agreed. They then all climbed aboard the legion, save for Lucy and Haru, who Natsu insisted he carry himself. Wrapping his fire tail around Lucy's waist, which didn't burn them, he then flapped into the air after the legion.

**(on the lacrima island)**

Pantherlily had abruptly stopped trying to fight, as he looked over the ruin of the city he once protected. Gone in an instant, under the wrath of a dragon. Gajeel had also stopped fighting, and just stared at him.

"What're we going to do?" Happy asked.

"The hell should I know?" Gajeel answered, "That cannon's not a threat anymore. Of course there's the dragon now…."

"Gajeel!" Levy called as the legion ascended up.

"Shrimp!" Gajeel said as the legion landed, and everyone disembarked.

"Lily!" Cocoa called as she ran over to her friend, who continued to stare over the wreckage.

"Its all gone," Pantherlily said, falling to his knees, "The kingdom is all gone."

"We shouldn't have kept that dragon prisoner," Cocoa said, "We should've let him be."

"We can talk about "should have" as much as we want," Pantherlily responded, "It doesn't change what happened." They then both looked over what would one day be called the "Waste of Faust".

Meanwhile, the Fairy Tail members had their reunion. When Natsu and Lucy came up, with little Haru in Lucy's arms, Happy flew straight at them.

"Natsu! Lucy!" he cried. Then he saw Haru.

"Is that…" he asked.

"Its our son," Natsu said happily. Happy then floated over to Haru who looked up at the exceed and smiled, and reached for him. Happy smiled back.

"Now we figure out a way to save them all," Gray said, looking up at the giant lacrima.

"We start shipping away at it," Gajeel said, readying his sword arm.

"That'd take too long," Erza said, studying it, "We need some other way."

"Consider that way found," Natsu said, grinning, as he opened his wings, and flapped into the air.

"We'd better stay clear," Lucy said. Everyone climbed back onto the legion's back, who flew off the island. Pantherlily and Happy flew away not heir wings. As Natsu loomed over the lacrima, he then inhaled, his chest glowing brighter than ever before. _This is for my family!_ Natsu thought. The then held up his hands, as all the fir gathered around, forming what looked like a dragon's head, with an open mouth.

"Dragon Slayer's Secret Technique: Fire Dragon's Ultimate Roar!" He said, a massive cloud of fire descended upon the lacrima, completely consuming it. It glowed a brilliant blue, before it exploded in a massive column of light, into the sky. Natsu laughed happily as his family was freed.

"He did it!" Juvia said.

"Way to go Natsu!" Happy said. Erza let out a sigh of relief.

"Not bad Hotstuff," Gray said.

"Tch! I could've done that!" Gajeel said.

As the Fairy Tail members celebrated, in the coming of night, they didn't notice something else though. A massive form flying towards Extalia. But Pantherlily did, and he knew what it meant.

**(with Wendy and Carla)**

Wendy and Carla continued to be abused and jeered by the Exceeds, as they apparently ran out of rocks and started throwing garbage at them instead.

"Why are you still here?"

"You're supposed to be gone!" As Carla sobbed against Wendy's side, she looked up.

"Why won't they listen?" she asked.

"I don't know," Wendy whispered, hugging Carla close, "I just don't know." During all of this, Nadi trembled in fear. He knew what was coming, unlike the others, but he was so terrified he couldn't move.

"You really think a dragon's coming here?" one Exceed yelled, "How stupid are…" Then a tremendous shadow fell over them all, and all Exceeds stopped jeering as they looked up.

Särakaotus landed, crushing several buildings underfoot as he did. All Exceeds were frozen, as they stared up at the great serpent before them.

"Oh no," Wendy whispered, as she also looked up weakly.

"Edolas has ended," Särakaotus said, as he reared back and inhaled, "Now ends Extalia."

**Note: So Lucy's child was born. But it seems that trouble is on its way as well.**

**I noticed that in 80% of fanfics with Natsu and Lucy having children, the baby is a girl. I don't know why people always want the children to be a daughter, so I decided to change it up, and give them a son instead. I went through several ideas for a name. I liked the names "Draco" and "Ladon", but I'm planning on saving those for later. I didn't want it to be "Igneel" or "Ryu" either, since those are names that have been done to death. So I settled on Haru, after the protagonist of Mashima's other work **_**Rave Master**_**. **

**Be sure to review.**


	58. The Girl From Then

_**The Girl From Then**_

"A dragon has appeared in the city!" Mysdroy, one of the Extalia elders said.

"To think a beast of such a calibre would show itself here! Martam, another said, "What are we to do? There is no way to defeat such creature!"

"We cannot defeat," a female voice said, "At this point, there is only one thing we can do."

"Queen Shagotte!"

"We must beg for the dragon's mercy," the Queen said as she rose from her throne, "And to do that, we must tell them the truth."

**(in the city)**

Särakaotus inhaled, as dark masses began to gather in his mouth. Wendy could recognize that he was going to use his breath attack, and immediately moved to try and intervene.

"Wait!" Out of nowhere, Pantherlily swooped in, and held up his arms in front of Särakaotus.

"Sir Pantherlily?" Nadi asked in surprise. No other Exceed really took much notice to who the new Exceed was, aside from the one who was currently in between them and the dragon. Särakaotus paused and glanced down at Pantherlily.

"**Who are you, that would stand against me?"** he demanded.

"I beg you!" Pantherlily said, "I know that the Kingdom of Edolas wronged you horribly, but these Exceeds have done nothing to you!"

"**In my dreams I saw this kingdom,"** Särakaotus responded**, "It is because of them that I was tormented for so long. And I've seen what these Exceeds have done, their actions were what drove the people of Edolas to do what they did. Extalia does not deserve to live. It must taste dragon justice"**

"Su… Surely you can be dissuaded from destroying us!" Nadi said as he hopped forward, sweating a flood, "Surely this land is not worthy of your attention!"

"Lord Nadi!" Pantherlily said, astounded that the noble was calling his own kingdom unworthy.

"**Any kingdom that played a hand in my suffering, no matter how direct or indirect, is very much worthy of my attention."**

"The Queen will stop you!" Särakaotus glanced down at another Exceed, who was trembling, trying hard to be brave. Unfortunately, under a dragon's gaze, that proved very difficult.

"**Is that an attempt at a threat, little kitten?"** Särakaotus asked, arching an eye crest.

"The Queen's a goddess!" another Exceed cried, "She can smite you from existence with a mere flick of her paw."

"**Is that so?"** Särakaotus responded, before rearing up, and opening his wings in display**, "Very well great Queen, I am ready! Take your divine power and smite me from existence!"** He waited for a few moments, before looking back down.

"**Nothing,"** he said**, "It appears your queen has nothing to challenge me."** The Exceeds just all stared up in horror, as the beast glared down at them.

"No… it will come… the Queen will destroy you," one Exceed stammered.

"She has to! She's our goddess!" Soon many Exceeds were crying for their queen, for her to come and save them the dragon, but nothing came.

"**When I'm finished, all that remain of this island will be a waste," **Särakaotus said**, "Probably for the best. The humans have been deferring to weaklings like for too long. Its time they saw you for what you really were."** He then inhaled again, before preparing to seal the fate of the Exceeds before him.

"Wait!" Särakaotus stopped abruptly upon the hearing of that voice. Wendy pushed her way forward, before falling to her knees before the dragon.

"Wendy!" Carla cried.

"I beg of you!" she said, "An honorable dragon such as yourself should lower himself to such a horror! It is so far beneath you!" Särakaotus stared at Wendy in silence, but there was something in his eyes…

"**Tell me your name, little human,"** he said. Wendy looked up in surprise.

"Wendy Marvel," she said, "Daughter of the Sky Dragon, Grandeeney. I am the sister of the one who freed you, Natsu Dragneel, son of Igneel the Fire Dragon." However, Särakaotus stopped paying attention rather promptly after he heard "Wendy".

"**Its you,"** he murmured**, "Its really you."** He then reached out with one of his claws towards the girl.

"NO!" Carla cried, jumping forward, but to everyone's surprise, the claw gently caressed Wendy's cheek.

"**All these centuries,"** Särakaotus said**, "I thought it would be only with immense fortune that I would see you again. Appears that immense fortune is now here."**

"I'm… I'm sorry," Wendy said, "But I've never seen you before." Särakaotus looked at Wendy carefully.

"**No, I suppose you would not,"** he said, his tail swishing behind him**, "But I also suppose does not matter."**

"Please don't hurt these people!" Wendy said, "They've done nothing! There's no reason to destroy this kingdom!"

"He has all the reason." Everyone turned, including Särakaotus to see a female Exceed approaching, dressed so extravagantly it was rather ridiculous.

"Your Majesty!" Nadi said.

"Queen Shagotte," Pantherlily whispered in the sight of the Queen.

"Its the Queen!"

"Just wait you overgrown gecko! The Queen's here to destroy you!" Särakaotus paid no heed in the least to that comment, and kept his gaze on the queen.

"Hear my words," the Queen, Shagotte, said, "There is no illusion of what is going on now. This dragon has the power to annihilate this entire kingdom if he so chooses. So its time that a decision is made."

"You're going to destroy the dragon right?" Shagotte remained silent, as she began to drop her cloak. Everyone stared in shock, as the Queen fully exposed herself.

"I am no queen, much less a goddess," she said, "I am but one more humble Exceed." Shagotte then revealed herself in fully. She was indeed just one more Exceed, but what set her apart, was her single wing on her left shoulder, much to everyone's shock, Carla the most, Särakaotus the least. _So their goddess is even lesser then they are?_ he thought, as he studied the situation before them. He'd experienced stories like those before in his time, this was nothing new.

"Wendy, Carla, I have to apologize for how you were treated," Shagotte said, "I shouldn't have let this happen." She then looked up to Särakaotus.

"And Särakaotus, I also must apologize to you," she said, "I know that for four centuries you were tortured, treated like a tool. It was because of me, and the lie that was formulated, that the humans ripped so much from you."

"No, the blame falls to us, the Elders," one of the Elders said, "We made up the image of the Queen. At one point, the Exceeds were a weak race that the humans walked all over."

"**So you invented a story of divinity to earn their respect,"** Särakaotus said.

"Precisely. And as a means of helping our kin to earn, or at least achieve, its self-respect, we made everyone Extalia believe in the power of the Queen, who was a goddess. All just a huge bluff."

"The idea of us deciding who lives and dies, that was completely made up. There is no real power here, save for Shagotte's ability to see into the future. That allowed us to see when a human would die."

"So that way you could make it seem like she decided for them to die," Wendy murmured.

"No… no…," one Exceed said.

"That's not true, she is a goddess!" another said.

"Hurry up and destroy the dragon! Save us all!"

"You fools!" Carla cried.

"Carla," Wendy whispered.

"You ordered Happy and I to kill our friends!" Carla said, "Memories were implanted in my head! You ordered us to kill our friends!"

"That's…," Nadi began.

"**It is very unlikely that is the case,"** Särakaotus interrupted. All eyes went up to the dragon, who had boosted himself up, now balancing on a pair of claws that were on his wings, with his front arms folded.

"What do you know?!" Carla demanded, "You were rotting under the palace for hundreds of years!" If the Eclipse Dragon was insulted, he didn't show it.

"**It was just outright stated that they have no real power,"** Särakaotus said**, "Do you really think that an Exceed could kill a human? They're not that stupid as to send you on a mission that would almost assuredly fail. I will not claim knowledge to the situation with the memories, but if you really believe that you were sent to kill the Dragon Slayers, you're a fool."**

"He's right," Shagotte said, "You're completely innocent in all respects. But I still hurt you more than any other." She then held up a sword, and tossed it at Carla's feet, much to everyone's shock, especially Pantherlily's.

"Please judge me! You who love both humans and Exceeds!" Carla was silent, as she stared at the sword before her, as the Exceeds cried.

"If the dragon is to destroy this land, then let me destroyed with it," Shagotte said. Carla then picked up the sword.

"Carla don't!" Wendy cried. The Exceeds all sobbed and cried. Pantherlily clenched his fists, not knowing what to do. Särakaotus watched in silence, but his tail flicked behind him. For the first time in a while, he wasn't sure what would happen.

"Don't just give up!" Carla cried, "Isn't this your home! Aren't you going to stand up for it! We can't let our home be destroyed! I won't let it be destroyed!" Everyone stared at her, Shagotte harder than anyone else, tears streaming down her eyes. Wendy smiled slightly at the sight. Särakaotus narrowed his eyes, as his folded arms tensed slightly.

"The child's right," Pantherlily said, as he approached the Queen, falling to one knee, "This is our home. We must not let it fall to ruin."

"Lily," Shagotte whispered, "Why… why are you here? This kingdom has done nothing but wrong you. We punished you when you did what was right." Pantherlily clenched his fists, as well as his teeth.

_(Flashback)_

"_Why in the Queen's name did you save a human child?" one Elder snapped. In the Queen's Royal Chamber, Pantherlily knelt before the throne. Cradled in his arms was a bandaged child._

"_He was wounded, and in danger," Pantherlily answered, "I could not live with myself knowing that I let him die."_

"_Have you forgotten the law?" an Elder demanded._

"_Its forbidden to bring a human to Extalia!"_

"_Are you suggesting I let it die?"_

"_That's exactly what we're suggesting! What's a human to us!" During this, Shagotte stood behind them, staring at the floor, biting her lip._

"_For this crime, you are deemed a Fallen, and hereby banished from Extalia!" Pantherlily looked up in shock, as Shagotte struggled not to cry, which nobody noticed._

_(End Flashback)_

"Your Majesty," Pantherlily said, "I won't lie to you. I hate this land. It was built on lies and arrogance, but despite all of that. Its my home, and these are my people. And I will protect them!" Soon every Exceed started crying out in their support of Carla, and their declaration to fight for their kingdom.

"We will fight you dragon!"

"We won't let you destroy our kingdom!" Särakaotus watched all of this in silence. He then took a breath.

"**Everyone here knows that there is no way of stopping me if I do destroy this kingdom," **he said**, "And yet you still insist on fighting."** He then looked down at Wendy, who also stood strong, ready to fight.

"**In light of the connection that there seems to be with the Sky Maiden, I will spare your land,"** the Eclipse Dragon announced. The Exceeds all looked up in shock at his statement.

"You would spare this land, after all that was done to you?" Shagotte asked. Särakaotus looked up at the night sky.

"**In my anger, I became reckless," **he said**, "I became a true monster, something I never desired to be. I took out my rage on innocent people, destroying a nation in the process."**

"What will you do now?" Wendy asked.

"**Well, how fares Earthland?"** Särakaotus asked her**, "How are my kin?" ** Wendy paused, before looking down at the ground.

"All the dragons disappeared seven years ago," she said, "There are all gone." Särakaotus blinked, but Wendy could tell that he was shocked far more than his face indicated.

"**So he succeeded,"** he muttered. Wendy looked up, but decided not to push it.

"**I must now leave,"** Särakaotus said, opening his wings, and flapping into the air**, "I must have an understanding of what must be done." **With that, he soared away, as the Exceeds cheered. Shagotte could only stand in silence at the sight of what was happening.

"Wait!" Wendy called, running after the dragon. Carla looked at her.

"Follow her," Shagotte said weakly, smiling. Carla was silent in surprise, before nodding, flying after Wendy, and picking her up.

**(at the island)**

The guild had since been huddled around Lucy, or more specifically Haru.

"He's just so cute, Lu!" Levy said, as she put a finger up to Haru, who giggled and grabbed at it.

"He certainly is," Juvia said, "Juvia can't wait to teach him how to swim!" Lucy smiled, as did Natsu, before he noticed Cocoa standing apart.

"Come over here!" he called, "Come meet my son!" Cocoa looked over briefly, tears still in her eyes, before she started walking over to see Haru. Haru looked up at the girl, and giggled.

"He likes you," Lucy said.

"But… I tried to kill him," Cocoa said.

"No, you're king did," Lucy said, "You had nothing to do with what almost happened to me, or Haru." Cocoa was silent, but then looked at the smiling baby again. And then she realized what this child was: hope. In all this destruction, in all this bleakness, there was this spot of hope. This spot of a future. And Cocoa couldn't help but smile.

"You could come with us," Natsu said, surprising Cocoa, "We'd be happy to let you into Fairy Tail, and show you the ropes!"

"First we need to get back to Earthland," Erza said, "As to how…"

"I may be able to offer some assistance," a familiar voice said. Everyone turned, and saw Mystogan floating up on a small white legion.

"Mystogan!" Erza said.

"Sorry for my lateness," the masked man said as he hopped off the legion onto the island, "I was closing up the remaining Animas. But it was thanks to Natsu that they were all sent back. Everyone's safe now." The entire guild was overjoyed to hear those words, but then Gajeel saw something coming from Extalia.

"Its the dragon!" he said. Everyone turned, and indeed saw Särakaotus flying away from Extalia.

"But, the island's intact," Cocoa said, "It spared them."

"And its… coming this way!" Levy cried. Indeed, the dragon was flying in their direction, and everyone recoiled back, save for Natsu and Mystogan, who both stood their ground. _He's the one,_ Särakaotus thought as he flew forward_, He's the one who freed me. I have to repay that debt, I have to… _Then, from below, a massive beam of light shot out, skewering Särakaotus right through the abdomen. The dragon let out a deafening roar, as he plummeted to the ground, to everyone's shock.

"Särakaotus!" Wendy cried, as Carla flew them down after him. Everyone looked down, and saw rising from the ruins of the capital, a towering metal monstrosity, that could only be described as draconic.

**(below)**

"My kingdom has been destroyed," Faust muttered as the lights of the machine lit up around him, "I will ensure that I will drag Extalia down with me!"

**Note: Seems Särakaotus knows Wendy somehow.**

**I decided to end it where I did mostly because this chapter was supposed to be focused primarily on Extalia and what Särakaotus was doing up there. Obviously the Dragon Slayers are going to be fighting the Droma Anim again, but there's going to be another twist that I feel people will like.**

**Be sure to review. Something is wrong with the site, so the new reviews wouldn't show up. Hopefully it'll be fixed.**

**()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()**

**I'm sorry, but I got to do this rant. I read a review on TV Tropes calling **_**Fairy Tail**_** a "copy and paste" of **_**One Piece**_**. First of all, not only is **_**One Piece**_** not the bastion of originality that a lot of people insist it is, seeing as many of the concepts they say **_**Fairy Tail**_** took from **_**One Piece**_** were in turn taken from **_**Dragon Ball**_**, but also that **_**Fairy Tail **_**does certain things better than **_**One Piece**_**. Not to mention how **_**Fairy Tail **_**seems to have tons of ass pulls where was **_**One Piece **_**is completely innocent (*cough Gears *cough Sanji's fire leg *cough Zoro's sudden ability to cut steal *cough etc). With that in mind, I'm now going to do a list of things that I believe **_**Fairy Tail **_**does better than **_**One Piece**_**. Alright, let's get started:**

**Pacing: I will always argue that **_**One Piece**_** greatest weakness, is its got terrible pacing. Oda seems to believe he needs to give every minute detail a big description that takes up whole chapters, and a result, the series **_drags_**. I remember the Impel Down Arc, and how it seemed to last forever, with something new always popping up to make the arc longer than it needed to be. This goes to such an extent, that I sometimes can't even tell what the conflict is, like what's going on in the current arc. **_**Fairy Tail**_** is much better paced. We see the conflict, we see the antagonists, and we get going. I think about the flashbacks we get, and how we get a lot of Zeref's backstory in one chapter. Why? Because the focus was on the **_**important**_** details. The longest flashback I've seen in FT was three chapters. The shortest in OP was five, and the last one was ten I think. We also can't forget that 800+ chapters in, and we still don't know anything new about the One Piece, Devil Fruits, or Poneglyphs.**

**Self-Containment: One thing I'm worried about with **_**One Piece**_** is how much is going on. Including the main cast, we've got four major factions that are vying for their own goals, and so much going on, its hard to keep track. Its like in **_**Game of Thrones**_**, where those so much happening, its hard to tell how its going to be wrapped up. There are also so many details and plot points, that I can't really tell what is and isn't important.**

**Giving Physicality: This is the same problem I've seen Kishimoto do in **_**Naruto**_**. Oda seems to think that he needs to give physical explanations to Devil Fruits, like how Kishimoto seems to give physicality to Chaka, using medical and scientific terms when describing. However, its never needed. These are fantasy stories, and as such, we don't need an explanation for how Devil Fruits work; these things exist in this world, that's all the explanation needed. Mashima doesn't give us any physics behind the magic; its magic, and that's all we need to know, because its a fantasy. Imagine if in **_**Lord of the Rings**_**, Tolkein started giving details as to how the One Ring was affecting Frodo's brain. It would damage the fantastical element, and give it less wonder.**

**Anyway, that's my rant. But I had to get it out of my system, and I dare not do it on YouTube. Tch, could you imagine? Take note, I do like _One Piece_, a lot actually. But I've seen so many rants saying how _Fairy Tail_ so horrible, and how _One Piece _is a godsend. Its unfair to harp on one series shortcomings, and ignore another's. On a different note, I wonder why the majority of the reviews on Tropes are negative.**


	59. Dorma Anim

_**Dorma Anim**_

Särakaotus plummeted to the ground, badly wounded, having been struck from below, much to everyone's horror. Carla flew Wendy down after him.

"The dragon!" Levy said, "It was hurt!"

"How could that be?" Gajeel demanded, "Dragons don't go down that easily!"

"We need to…," Natsu didn't finish as there was a blast of energy that just barely missed him.

"Scarlet!" Erza's voice roared. Everyone looked down, and saw a hoard of legions advancing in their direction, with Knightwalker, her face still stained with tears, at the lead.

"It was your fault our kingdom was destroyed!" Knightwalker yelled, "You released the dragon!" Scarlet narrowed her eyes, as the legions advanced. Suddenly, Mystogan's personal legion appeared, obstructing their path, as he removed his mask, revealing his face to everyone.

"The only ones to blame are yourselves," Mystogan said, "That dragon should never have been kept prisoner. And as your prince, I order that you lay down your weapon."

"**You are no son of mine!"** the voice of Faust shouted out from the ground. It was coming from the metal, draconic monstrosity that shot down Särakaotus.

"**You vanished over two decades ago,"** Faust said**, "You have inhibited our plans by destroying the anima, and sided with the enemy. You're a traitor to your kingdom."**

"Your animas are gone," Mystogan said, "Your kingdom has died, and your plan has failed. There is no reason to continue fighting."

"**Oh, there is plenty a reason. True, Edolas may be gone, but I still live, and as long as I live, I will not let Extalia continue to exist. And if you stand in my way, I will obliterate you, along with everyone else." **The metal monstrosity stepped forward, as everyone stared in horror.

"The Dorma Anim," Pantherlily said, as he flew up, to get a better look at what was going on.

"What is that thing?" Scarlet demanded.

"The Dorma Anim," Mystogan explained, "The Dragon Knight!" Natsu and Gajeel narrowed their eyes at the mention of "dragon". Scales began to creep onto Natsu's face.

"It was built using the power of Subject S! Its got a special kind of armor that can nullify magic," Cocoa said, "The King must be piloting it!"

"**Now go!"** Faust ordered**, "Destroy Extalia!"**

"Charge!" Erza ordered, as the legions soared in the direction of the island. Soon, the Exceeds to see legions baring down on them, with strange cannons. As they tried to scatter, the soldiers fired their cannons, and any Exceed that was cut in the blast, was suddenly turned into lacrima. Shagotte tried to fly away, though her one wing inhibited that.

"Your Majesty!" Pantherlily said, as he swooped forward, and whisked her away.

"Lily," Shagotte said, looking up at the large Exceed, "The others…."

"Will be fine!" Pantherlily answered, smiling, "If there's one thing this whole experience has taught me, was that Earthlanders don't give up."

Meanwhile, the group, then all jumped onto Cocoa's legion's back, save for Natsu, who opened his fire wings, and wrapped his tail around Lucy, and lifted her up. Lucy held tight to Haru.

"We have to protect the Exceeds!" Scarlet said, "Let's go!"

"And what about the giant monster, down there?" Gray asked.

"We can't do anything about it," Levy said, "If it really can nullify magic. We should focus on saving the Exceeds!" With that, the legion took off towards Extalia, with Natsu carrying Lucy behind them.

"**Nothing stands in my way!" **Faust bellowed**, "You will cease to exist!"** The Dorma Anim then fired a massive burst of energy from its mouth at the legion. Fortunately, Mystogan intercepted the blow, blocking it with his mirror technique.

"Save the Exceeds!" he said, "I'll hold him as long as I can." He then held up all of his staffs, creating a massive burst of magic energy at Faust. However, when they struck the machine, the blast harmlessly bounced off.

"**This armor is magic proof!" **Faust said**, "Nothing you do can stop it!"** Severla magical missiles then shot from the Dorma Anim's back, which crashed into Mystogan, as he was unable to deflect all of them properly. With a cry, he was sent plummeting the ground.

"Your Highness!" Pantherlily cried.

"Go," Shagotte said, from within his arms.

"My Queen!" Pantherlily said in surprise.

"I'll be fine," Shagotte said with a smile, "Go save that boy again. This time I will not try and prevent you." Pantherlily looked at her before nodding, and handing her off to another Exceed, and flying at Mystogan, managing to grab him, and carry him to safety. Seeing that their guild mate was safe, the Fairy Tail mages then continued their advance, save for Natsu, who glared at the machine.

"Natsu," Lucy said, tightening her hold on her son.

"I can't let that thing go," he said, "I've got to stop it!"

"But its magic repellant!"

"I've faced worst," Natsu said, "I can beat it." He then flew over towards legion, gently settling Lucy down on the legion's back.

"Don't worry, I'll be back!" Natsu said, before he flew higher into the air. His horns, wings, and tail then turned solid, as he assumed his Dragon Aspect. With a roar, he then swooped down towards the Dorma Anim.

"Hell if I'm letting Salamander get all the attention!" Gajeel said as he also leapt off the legion.

"Gajeel!" Levy cried. However, Gajeel grabbed Natsu's tail as he fell, preventing him from free falling.

"Hey! I'm not a damn passenger pigeon!" Natsu said, looking back.

"You're not the only one who's got to kick some ass," Gajeel said, "And I'm not interested in falling to my death!" Not in the mood to argue, and knowing he didn't have the time, Natsu let Gajeel hitch a ride on him. As they got closer to the Dorma Anim, Natsu's chest lit up, as he breathed his fire at the machine.

"**Its no use!" **Faust yelled**, "This armor's…"** However, the force of the fire caused the Dorma Anim to recoil back, much to the shock of Faust.

"**How…"** He didn't get to finish, as he was blasted in the head by a massive iron pole that nearly knocked the machine off balance.

"Pity Wendy's not here," Natsu said as he flapped in the air over the Dorma Anim, "This would be a great time for her to practice."

"Where is the runt anyway?" Gajeel asked.

"Don't call my sister a runt!" Natsu snapped angrily.

"Or what?" Gajeel answered.

"I'll melt you down, and us you to make toys for Haru!" Natsu said. _Do they not know who they're fighting?_ Faust thought, with a sweat drop.

**(somewhere on the ground)**

Särakaotus lay collapsed on the ground, a massive hole through his abdomen, staring at the sky.

"Särakaotus!" Wendy cried as Carla carried her down. The dragon glanced at her as she was set on the ground.

"**Sky Daughter,"** he said weakly. Wendy ran over to him, and looked at his wound.

"You're hurt," she said.

"**I would certain like to lie and say I've had worse,"** Särakaotus said pained hiss**, "But I have not. This wound is easily the worst I've sustained."**

"I can heal you," Wendy said, moving over to the wound.

'**Nothing can heal me at this point,"** Särakaotus said**, "Perhaps if I were younger, and had more magic within me, I could have withstood this injury, but it seems those centuries of having my magic drained took its toll."**

"I don't believe that!" Wendy said, as she activated her magic, "I'm going to save you!"

"**Why are you so insistent?"** Särakaotus asked**, "What have I done to earn such treatment? What do you have to gain from healing me?"**

"Because you may know!" Wendy said.

"**What?"**

"Like I told you, seven years ago, all the dragon's disappeared, including my mother," Wendy said, "I'm looking for any potential lead. If you may know anything…"

"**I'm afraid I have no knowledge of where your mother may have gone to,"** Särakaotus interrupted**, "I was here in Edolas for centuries. Chances are Earthland has changed so radically that I would probably not recognize it." **He then looked in the direction of the battle with the Dorma Anim.

"**To think my power would be used to fuel such horrible creations,"** he said**, "It is a terribly shameful."**

"It wasn't your fault," Wendy said. The dragon then looked over at the Dragon Slayer again, as he weakly boosted himself back up.

"Try not to move!" Wendy said, but she was ignored.

"**Perhaps I can offer you no knowledge," **Särakaotus said**, "But perhaps I can offer you help, in dealing with that metal terror."**

"You're in no condition to fight!"

"**I'm not offering you my claws. I'm offering something far more lasting." **Särakaotus then spread his wings, as the same dark substance that he used in his breath attack leaked out of them. They then swirled around Wendy.

"**They used my power to create that thing,"** he said**, "Perhaps you can use the same power to strike it down." **Wendy then understood what she was meant to do. She inhaled, sucking up the substance, much to Carla's surprise. She then swallowed the substance.

Instantly, the energy swirled around Wendy, as did the wind. But then the two began to fuse together, forming wind swirling with the energy of the Eclipse Dragon. Her hair and eyes suddenly turned a deep purple, as the dark energy swirled around.

"Sky Eclipse Dragon Mode!" she said.

**Note: Seems Wendy got a serious power up. I always wanted her to get what Natsu and Gajeel got in the series, so I opted to give her power boost based on the Eclipse Dragon's power. My hope is that I can use these new features to give the fight new twists, and make more deviations from canon. **

**Be sure to review. The reviews still aren't showing up, but don't let that discourage you.**

**By the way, it would sometimes help to know how far my readers are in the series. I hope that everyone's fully up to date with the series.**


	60. Sky Eclipse Dragon Mode

_**Sky Eclipse Dragon Mode**_

"Fire Dragon's Roar!" Natsu said, as he breathed more of his fire at the Dorma Anim. While it inflicted a certain amount of damage, it wasn't that much. But that didn't discourage the Dragon Slayers.

"You call that an attack?" Gajeel said, "I'll show you an attack!" He then brought his hands together.

"Iron Dragon's Harpoon!" A large spiked pole of iron shot out of Gajeel's hands, striking the Dorma Anim in the chin, the force of which knocked it slightly back.

"**How is the Dorma Anim being damaged?"** Faust asked out loud**, "This thing is supposed to be anti-magic!"**

"You said that its a 'Dragon' Knight!" Natsu said as he flew over, "And we're Dragon Slayers!"

"You call that thing a dragon?" Gajeel said, "That's probably the stupidest looking dragon I've every seen!"

"**Die you brats!"** The Dorma Anim fired its mouth cannon at Natsu, who easily dodged it. While his attention was on Natsu, Faust got struck from behind by Gajeel's Dragon Roar. When he turned to face him, the Dorma Anim was intercepted, and got a face full of dragon fire. He clawed at Natsu, only for the half-dragon to easily evade by flying away.

The back of the Dorma Anim then opened, as several missiles flew out, and started streaming after Natsu. Natsu flapped madly around to avoid the attacks, as the missiles followed him. Baring his teeth, Natsu turned, and breathed out his fire at the missiles, destroying most of them.

"Fire Dragon's Wind Beat!" He then beat his wings, sending a curtain of fire at Faust. Faust held up the Dorma Anim's arms in defense. The force of the fire didn't do that much, but Natsu then flew through the smoke.

"Fire Dragon's Sword Horn!" He then rammed into the Dorma Anim's chest, knocking it back, towards Gajeel.

"Iron Dragon's Bolt!" The Dorma Anim was then hit in the side of the head by Gajeel's iron pole.

Natsu landed on some old structures, panting, while Gajeel wiped some sweat from his brow, as they looked over the machine. They were gradually whittling it down, but they both knew that whittling it down was not sufficient. They had to defeat this guy soon, or the Exceeds would be doomed.

"**I won't deny your skill,"** Faust said**, "But this thing was built using the power of Subject S! Its stronger than all of you!"**

"I've faced far worse than you!" Gajeel said, "Let alone anything Salamander's face!"

"What's that's supposed to mean metal head?!" Natsu snapped.

"The hell do you think it means, Hot Stuff?"

"Who has the power to turn into a half-dragon here!" Natsu, "Screw this! I've already left Lucy and Haru alone too long, so you aren't worth the attention!" His chest then lit up, as he inhaled, while the Dorma Anim braced itself. However, there was a sudden gust as a shape whisked past Natsu, and struck the Dorma Anim. The impact did more than either the Fire or Iron Dragon Slayer did, as it left a noticeable dent in machine's armor. Much to Natsu and Gajeel's shock, Wendy landed before them, both the Sky and Eclipse magic swirling around her.

"Wendy?" Natsu asked, as he soared down towards her.

"Its a long story, but I absorbed some of Särakaotus' power," Wendy explained, as she smiled, "I've now got both Sky Dragon, and Eclipse Dragon magic!"

"You can use two kinds of Dragon Slayer magic?!" Gajeel demanded, "That's not fair!" Wendy flushed red, or more accurately dark pink due to the purple aura surrounding her.

"Well…."

"Leave Wendy alone!" Natsu yelled, before smiling at Wendy, "That's amazing little sis!"

"Thank's Natsu!" Wendy said with a smile. Natsu then glared at Faust.

"Now let's see what your new magic can do!" he said. Wendy nodded, before inhaling.

"Sky Eclipse Dragon Roar!" she cried, as she released a massive blast of wind and dark energy. It struck the Dorma Anim straight in the chest, causing it to fall to the ground, catching Wendy off guard.

"Wow! That was awesome!" Natsu said, "But how did you do it?"

"That thing was created using Särakaotus' power," Wendy said, "It must be exceptionally vulnerable to his magic."

"Then in that case!" Natsu said, flexing his wings, "You're leading the charge!" Normally Wendy wouldn't dream of leading an offensive, but something within her was encouraging. She had faith that this would go well.

"Let's go!" she declared. With that, the three Dragon Slayers charged.

**(somewhere else)**

"Damn, I was careless!" Mystogan said, looking over at the battle in the distance.

"Don't blame yourself, Prince," Pantherlily said as he set him down, "It certainly wasn't your fault." Mystogan took a breath.

"I have to trust Natsu at this point," he said, "If there's anyone who can take the Dorma Anim, its him. But there's something else I need to do. And I need your help."

"What is it?"

"Just follow me."

**(with the main group)**

The group advanced towards where the army was.

"Its time we do what Fairy Tail does best: protect people!" Erza declared, "To battle!" She then took notice of Knightwalker standing atop a legion, staring at her.

"Knightwalker!" Scarlet called, "If you have any shred of honor left in you, stop hiding behind your army and face me!" Knightwalker just smirked.

"I fight to win," she said, "Honor is for idiots." She then pointed down, suddenly several legions ascended from below.

"Destroy them!" Knightwalker ordered, as the soldiers took aim. However, a blast of Eclipse Dragon breath shot into the sky, that consumed the legion. Everyone looked down towards the ground, and saw Särakaotus' mouth open, before he collapsed again.

"The dragon saved us!" Levy said.

"Damn that demon!" Knightwalker said, "Forget the plan! Just kill them now!"

"Take them to the ground," Scarlet instructed to Cocoa, "Leave Knightwalker to me!"

"Erza!" Lucy said.

"Hold onto your son," Scarlet instructed with a smile, "While I hold onto my vow to him." Lucy wanted to protest, but knew it would be like protesting to a sword ("brick wall" didn't do Scarlet justice). With that, Scarlet leapt from the legion, and with one sword, cut a legion clean from the sky. As it was falling, she scrambled up it, and used it to leap onto another, cutting it down as well.

"Knightwalker!" she called, "I can only conclude that you're a coward, based on your actions here. Because no true warrior would hide behind her deception like this!" With that, Scarlet re-quipped into her Morning Star Armor, and held up a new sword with similar details.

"You call yourself Erza, and yet you would raise your blade against Edolas?" Knightwalker asked as her Ten Commandments reformed itself again.

"And you would try to murder the people of Fairy Tail?" Scarlet countered, "I think the situation is clear."

"Two Erza's is one too many," Knightwalker said, "Its time that its remedied!" With that, the two crashed their weapons together.

**(on the ground)**

The legion landed in the forest, as everyone jumped off.

"Everyone!" Carla called, as she flew towards them.

"Carla!" Happy said with a smile.

"You have to…" Carla didn't finish as there was a sudden explosion in the ground.

"Its the army!" Cocoa said.

'How many are there?" Gray said.

"Many," Levy said, before smiling, "But we've taken on worse."

"You have?" Cocoa asked.

**(with the Erzas)**

The two red heads clashed weapons again, as they forced each apart.

"Morning Star: Photon Slicer!" Scarlet said, sending a burst of magic at Knightwalker.

"Rune Save!" Knightwalker said, as she seemed to cut through the magic itself, before the spear reformed again, "Silfarion!" She then jetted at Scarlet, as the two parried each other again and again.

"I don't get it!" Knightwalker said, "Why would you fight for Fairy Tail?!" She struck again against Scarlet, who managed to block it.

"For the same reason I imagine you fought for Edolas," Scarlet answered, as she summoned a sword into her foot, and slashed at Knightwalker, who only dodged by a hair, "Fairy Tail is my home! But you cannot compare the two, not even remotely! You fight for a dead kingdom that was cruel, oppressive, and arrogant!" Knightwalker let out an enraged yell, as they clashed blades again.

"Edolas fought to bring eternal magic to everyone!" she declared, "How could you have understand?! You're from Earthland!"

"I understand that its wrong to step on people to earn my desires!" Scarlet answered, "Edolas was built on that! Not to mention you had the idiocy to try and keep a dragon imprisoned beneath your castle! It deserved to die!" She then boosted herself on her arms, and kicked Knightwalker away.

"How dare you!" Knightwalker, "It was your fault that the kingdom died! Blue Crimson!" Her spear changed again into dual red and blue spears, which Scarlet both managed to block.

"Our fault?!" she countered, "All we've done is to give a tortured being its freedom! Unlike you, who draw your power from torturing! Enough talk! Its time we let out blades do the talking!" With that, they continued their duel.

**(with the Dragon Slayers)**

The battle was going quite well for the Dragon Slayers. Wendy's dual abilities was inflicting a great deal of damage upon the Dorma Anim, Faust could never get a hit on her with Natsu flying around breathing fire on him, and Gajeel was constantly knocking him off balance with his iron strikes.

As the Dorma Anim withstood a curtain of dragon fire, Faust fired the missiles again, which chased after Natsu.

"Wendy!" he called.

"Yes!" Wendy said, understanding, "Sky Eclipse Dragon Scythes!" She swung her arms, as several wind scythes shot out, causing the missiles to explode into fire, which Natsu promptly sucked up.

"**Damn you!"** Faust snapped, as he turned to go to Wendy, only to notice Gajeel chomp on the Dorma Anim's tail.

"Geh!" Gajeel said, "This metal tastes terrible! You need some better metal workers!" He then turned, and held up his arm and his finger.

"Iron Dragon's Sniper!" A thin, but sharp piece of iron shot out of his finger tip, and struck right through the Dorma Anim's eye, barely missing Faust himself. In his moment of distraction, the Dragon Slayers made their move.

"Fire Dragon's Spitfire!" Natsu said, as he rapidly spat several balls at the Dorma Anim's face, which stunned Faust enough for Wendy to strike. The Dual Element Dragon Slayer brought her hands together, before forcing them forward.

"Sky Eclipse Dragon's Blast!" A burst of combined energy struck at the Dorma Anim's leg, knocking it off balance, as it began to fall in one direction. This allowed Gajeel to make his move, as he put his fists together.

"Iron Dragon's Lance: Demon Trunk!" A massive spear of iron came from his hands, striking the Dorma Anim in the side as it crashed to the ground. The Dragon Slayers regrouped, as they looked over their fight.

"Did we get him?" Wendy asked.

"No," Gajeel said, "He's still coming. We need..." But then they all began to hear a sinister laughing from the Dorma Anim, as it began to rise to its feet, and pulse with magical energy.

**"Your magic power truly is tremendous,"** Faust said, as he grinned manically**, "I must have it! That power must be mine!" **With that, the Dorma Anim exploded with magic power so great, it knocked all three Dragon Slayers off their feet. Its body then changed, it stood more upright, as its arms turned to blades, and its body turned from white, to a deep black.

**"Dorma Anim: Black Sky!"**

**Note: Sorry this was so short, but I didn't want the fight with Faust to only be one chapter. You'll probably notice in this fight that Wendy doesn't do as much support. Well, that's because she's now got a serious power boost from getting the Eclipse Dragon power. I'd go so far to say that with this power, she might be as strong as Gajeel is now, if not possibly slightly stronger.**

**Take note I'm using the anime design for the Dorma Anim: Black Sky, since its cooler ****looking, and offers more possibility to expand on.**

**Be sure to review. Something that really frustrates me is that I got over a dozen reviews for chapter 57 with Haru's birth, but I can't read any of them, since I only activated the email review alert system **_**after**_**.**

**One of the reasons I hoped my readers were up to date with the manga is for the following, because I'd love to here suggestions for what I can do for a situation that happens after chapter 416. If you've read that far, you know what happens in 416. I don't want to do what happens in canon, and I've got a lot of ideas, which I'm not sure of. But I still really want to hear other people's ideas. If anyone has one they'd like to share, be sure to PM me. I like to plan as far ahead as possible. It makes the writing process simpler.**


	61. Three Dragons

_**Three Dragons**_

The Dragon Slayers stared up at the transformed machine that the Edolas called the "Dragon Knight", which looked a lot more like the "Knight" instead of the "Dragon" now.

"So it got a paint job!" Natsu said, "We'll dismantle that thing no problem!" He then beat his wings, and took to the air again. He then flew towards the metal titan, breathing a great torrent of flames at the face of the Dorma Anim. However, through the flames, one of arms of the Dormin Anim came up, and sent Natsu flying.

"Natsu!" Wendy cried. Gajeel then leapt up.

"Iron Dragon's Guillotine!" he said, bringing down a massive blade of dragon iron onto the machine, but it held up its sword arm, and parried the attack easily. While Faust's attention was on Gajeel, Wendy decided to take action, inhaling.

"Sky Eclipse Dragon's Roar!" she said, releasing the full power of the dual Dragon magic. But when it struck Faust, it did not do the damage that it had done before.

"How…..," Wendy whispered.

"**Tremble at the power of the Black Sky,"** Faust said, with a mad grin on his face**, "Every aspect of it has been multiplied in power! You have no hope of defeating me with this power at my beck and call!"** The back of the Dorma Anim then opened up, as several more of the missiles erupted out, going after all three Dragon Slayers. Natsu breathed fire at the missiles, destroying several of them, though a couple made it through. He held up his wings, and tired to block the attacks. However, the force still causing him careening away, sending him crashing through an old column.

"Natsu!" Wendy cried, as she then sprung into the air, spinning her arms together, "Sky Eclipse Dragon's Heaven's Wheel!" The spinning torrent of dragon wind, and dragon dark energy, came down upon Faust, and while it briefly caused the machine to flinch, it still didn't do the work it was supposed to. Admittedly, Wendy was very much improvising with her spells at this point. She had only just gotten this power, and did not fully understand how to handle it.

Meanwhile, Gajeel was doing the best he could at this point, especially considering that the lacked the power ups that the half-dragon and the dual Dragon Slayer. Taking a note from Wendy he leapt into the air. He turned both of his arms into large iron plates.

"Iron Dragon's Thunderclap!" He slammed the plates together, creating a large shockwave, that struck the side of the Dorma Anim. It then turned towards Gajeel, and fired a cannon from its arm. Gajeel managed to avoid the technique, only to get swatted aside by the machine's tail, sending him careening away.

"Damn!" Natsu said, as he leaned up, rubbing his head, as he looked up at the metal monster. As he went over his options, his tail flicked. That gave him an idea, as he beat his wings, and flew back towards the fight.

"Wendy! Bolt Head!" Natsu called as he flew over, "I've got an idea! Follow me!" Neither inclined to argue, they ran after Natsu.

"**You won't escape me!"** Faust roared, as the Dorma Anim advanced after them. The Dragon Slayers managed to hide in the ruins.

"So what's the plan? At this point, I'm ready to do anything!" Gajeel said.

"What is it?" Wendy asked.

"Grab my tail, Metal Head!" Natsu said, bringing up his tail.

"Wait! What?!"

"Just follow my lead!" Natsu said. Gajeel really didn't want to do it, but lately what he wants was being ignored.

"At least don't make me hang on to it," he said.

"Only Lucy, Haru, and Wendy get to be carried," Natsu answered, "Everyone else has to hold on."

"What about me?" Wendy asked.

"Can you do more of your support magic?" Natsu asked.

"I think so," Wendy said, "But I'm not sure what the Eclipse Magic will do to it."

"Don't worry about it," Natsu said with a smile, "Just do your thing!" He then beat his wings, and flew up, Gajeel grabbing his tail in the process. Faust watched as the Dragon Slayers ascended into the sky.

"**Go ahead and try!"** he said**, "You won't do anything!"** Wendy then held up her arms, as her magic swirled around her.

"O strengthen of arm to cleave the heavens! Arms!" The combined power of the Sky and Eclipse Dragon encompassed the Fire and Iron Dragon Slayers.

"Hold on!" Natsu said, as he then dove at the Dorma Anim, cloaking his body in flames.

"Damn it Salamander!" Gajeel roared as it dawned on him what his fellow Slayer was going to do. With that, Natsu then lashed his tail, and Gajeel with that, at the Dorma Anim. Gajeel then curled into a ball, and coated himself in his his Iron Dragon Scales, with the dragon fire coating his body as well.

"Iron Dragon's Meteor!" The Dorma Anim held up its arms, which Gajeel crashed into. The impact created a crater around the feet of the machine. A huge cloud of dust was kicked up, as Gajeel landed back on the ground, Natsu perched on a column, and Wendy watched. All three were panting.

However, when the dust cleared, it showed the Dorma Anim still standing strong.

"Even with all three of us working together…," Wendy said in horror.

"**There's nothing you can do that will break this things' armor!" **Faust cackled**, "You'll never defeat me!"** With that, the Dorma Anim launched itself at the Slayers.

**(with the main group)**

The battle raged on between the remnants of the Edolas army, and the Fairy Tail members. Lucy was the exception, since she had retreated to behind the lines, to shelter her son. But she didn't want to be dead weight.

"Open, Gate of the Lion: Loke!" she said, summoning up one of her signature spirits.

"Ah, my dear Lucy!" Loke said, looking longingly at Lucy, "If only it was our son who I was defending." He then turned towards the fighting.

"But I will defend your son!" he declared, "No one will harm Haru!" He then blasted several soldiers away. Meanwhile, Gray froze, Juvia soaked, and Levy wrote, each knocking the others away with all the separate magic powers.

"There's too many of them!" Levy said, as she drew "Lightning" shocking a company of them away. At the same time, the two Exceeds were just trying to avoid being shot by the magical rifles.

"What do we do?" Happy asked.

"We hold out!" Carla answered, "We don't have anything else to do at this point!"

"This ain't over yet!" Gray said, "Keep fighting!" However, right then, several legions crashes their way through the trees, much to everyone's terror. Lucy just watched, holding tight to Haru, who had started crying.

"Shhh!" Lucy said, "Everything's going to be alright! Mommy's not going to let anything happen to you!" But Haru still continued to cry. Lucy didn't blame him. She wasn't so sure it would be alright herself. Then a huge legion appeared over her.

"Lucy!" everyone cried at once. Lucy was so terrified that she couldn't move. She wasn't terrified for herself, she was terrified for Haru. This baby hadn't even been in this world for a day yet, and already he was in terrible danger. This was wrong. This baby was supposed to have a future.

"Someone help," Lucy whispered as she squeezed her eyes shut, and her arms around Haru, "Please… someone help." Then the legion let out a roar, and when Lucy opened her eyes, she saw that a massive root had wrapped around its throat, as well as the throats of several other.

"What is this?" Juvia asked. Happy couldn't help but smile. He knew what this way, as the roots began to take more form, and a familiar banner appeared on it.

"Let's go Fairy Tail!" Lucy Ashley declared as she, and the rest of Edolas Fairy Tail stormed out, towards the battle.

"Let's kick some ass!" Edolas Levy said.

"That's me!" Earthland Levy cried out.

"Edo-Lucy!" Heartfilia said, tears of joy streaming down her face.

"Sorry about being late Earth-Lucy!" Ashley said, running up, Edolas Natsu with her. Then they noticed the baby in Heartfilia's arms.

"Is that….," Natsu asked.

"My son," Heartfilia said, smiling gently, "Natsu and I named Haru." The two just stared in wonder at their counterparts' baby. It was like looking at their own future child. Ashley then smiled, boosting Heartfilia up.

"Two Lucy's!" Loke said, swooning. But that was nothing compared to the swooning Earth-Juvia was doing.

"Two Grays!" she cried, as she literally began to steam, as she sprung at the nearest Gray, which turned out to be Gray Surge.

"A Juvia that loves me?" Surge asked, before declaring, "I'm going to Earthland!" Edo-Juvia stared in surprise, and noticed Fullbuster.

"Yo!" she said, holding up her hand. Fullbuster looked at his girlfriend's counter, and flushed red slightly.

"Would you maybe be willing to trade places?" Edo-Juvia asked, "Or let me trade places with your Juvia?" Fullbuster looked down to see Surge and Earth-Juvia cuddling on the ground.

"Nah, I'm happy with my Juvia," Fullbuster answered. As Fairy Tail engaged with the army, the Exceeds stared.

"Seems we can stir up anywhere we go," Carla said with a soft smile.

"That's Fairy Tail!" Happy said.

**(with the Erzas)**

As the dual red heads continued their duel, neither one could get the upper hand. Knightwalker thrust the spear at Scarlet, who parred it with her sword in her right hand, and then slashed forward with the sword in her left, which Knightwalker dodged. Scarlet then summoned up several more swords, and launched them at Knightwalker, who managed to block them.

"It seems we're more equal than I initially thought," Scarlet said, as she skidded to the opposing side.

"Don't flatter yourself," Knightwalker answered, "We're not even remotely equal. We may be the same…."

"Don't flatter yourself either," Scarlet answered, "We may have a similar face, but we're nothing alike!" Her body then glowed as she changed her armor.

"I need to deliver a message about what happens when you trifle with Fairy Tail," she said, as the glow faded, revealing pink armor, and dual swords with fairy-like designs, "Armadura Fairy!" Knightwalker narrowed her eyes.

"This armor carries the name of my guild," Scarlet said, "You should know why."

"Its certainly flashy enough," Knightwalker answered, as her spare changed form again, forming a relatively simple spear form, "Tremble before the ultimate form of the Ten Commandments: Holy Spear Ravelt! It has the power of Subject S itself! The power that destroyed Edolas lives within it."

"Stop referring to the dragon as an 'it'," Scarlet answered, "His name is Särakaotus. He is the Eclipse Dragon. He destroyed your kingdom, so I think you should start addressing him properly."

"Enough!" Knightwalker said, "Its time we ended this!"

"I couldn't agree more!" Scarlet responded. With that, the two launched at each other, and clashed. The force was so great, that it blew apart the entire island. When the dust faded, the Ten Commandments had been knocked away, and the Armadura Fairy had been destroyed. Neither warrior could believe that it had happened. It seemed impossible. Neither of them had any magic left, and the island was starting to fall. But Knightwalker didn't care.

"I'll beat you! For eternal magic!" she cried, as she tackled Scarlet. Scarlet punched her in the face, and off of her.

"How many people had to suffer for your own selfish desires!" Scarlet snapped, getting Knightwalker in a headlock, "All you did was steal, and blame others for your problems! You kept a dragon prisoner for hundreds of years, what did you think was going to happen?! How many times to do I have to say that?!"

"Power and prosperity must be seized!" Knightwalker said as she head butted Scarlet, and got her off her, "If you don't do that, you die!" The two then continued trading blows.

"Bullshit!" Scarlet answered, "Power that's stolen never lasts! The proper way to get power is to earn it! And the way to earn the power is to protect others! That is the duty of knights like us!"

"The duty of the knight is to protect their world!" Knightwalker said, "Don't talk like you know this place! We're losing our means of living!"

"So you think that justifies bringing misery to others!" Scarlet countered, punching Knightwalker in the face, "Magic may be a means to an end, but is not the end itself! If you try to turn it into an end, then you lose sight of what is really important! You're kingdom's magic was never important! Your kingdom's people are what's important!" She then grabbed Knightwalker by the shoulders, and pulled her up.

"You speak so highly of your great kingdom, but your kingdom is not its magic, or its buildings, but the people! Fight not for your magic, but for your people! Your kingdom is not dead yet! Your people are the Kingdom of Edolas!" Knightwalker wasn't left with anything else to say after Scarlet's speech. Right then, they crashed into the ground. The two lay collapsed on the ground, completely drained.

"You still alive?" Knightwalker called.

"I've had far worse than this," Scarlet answered, as they both stared at the sky.

"I lost my father when I was young," Knightwalker suddenly said, "By decree of Extalia. Since then, I vowed to make sure Extalia would never terrorize Edolas again."

"Is that so?" Scarlet asked, "You know, I was once a slave."

"A slave?"

"I don't know if slavery is any different in Edolas…."

"It isn't."

"….but every day for sometime was sheer, unbridled misery," Scarlet continued, "Tell me, what do you think I am now."

"I'd say you're Erza," Knightwalker answered, with a smile.

**(with Fairy Tail)**

The two Fairy Tail guilds were fighting with new vitalization, but they were still rather notably outnumbered.

"Hold the line!" Ashley ordered, "We can't let them through!"

"Solid Script: Fire!" Earth-Levy said, sending out a burst of fire, blasting several soldiers away.

"What kind of weird magic is that?" Edo-Levy asked.

"Solid Script," Earth-Levy answered.

"That's just stupid," Edo-Levy said.

"Are you sure you're my counterpart?" Meanwhile, the rest of the guild continued their assault against the enemies, but then Lisanna noticed something.

"More legions!" she cried.

"Get ready!" Ashley said as a new line of soldiers ran at them. Heartfilia held tight to her son, but then she could sense a presence. A familiar once.

*WOOOSSH A massive shape soared over everyone, much to Fairy Tail's awe, and the army's horror. Särakaotus landed behind Fairy Tail, and let out an earth shaking roar. The Edolas army, after quite possibly wetting themselves, turned tail and ran. There was a period of silence, as everyone stared at the dragon before them.

"Its a….," Edo-Elfman murmured.

"Real dragon," Natsu finished. With a groan, Särakaotus then collapsed to the ground. Everyone then noticed the large hole in his torso.

"**And the girl told me not to move too much," **he said with a slight chuckle.

"You're the dragon that destroyed the city!" Cocoa said, pointing. Särakaotus glanced up at her, but was silent.

"The city was destroyed?" Edo-Juvia asked.

"The city and palace were completely obliterated, and the army was scattered," Cocoa explained, "Chances are, every place the kingdom conquered is going to revolt." She then clenched her fists, as she stared at the ground.

"The kingdom is dead," she said slowly. Everyone stared at the girl, not sure what to say.

"What do we do now?" Surge asked.

**"I may be able to offer a solution,"** Särakaotus suddenly said. Everyone looked at the collapsed dragon.

**"My name is** **Särakaotus, I am the Eclipse Dragon,"** he said.

"You're the one who destroyed the city!" Cocoa yelled, "What could you do help?" Särakaotus was silent for a time.

"**I cannot undo that which was done,"** Särakaotus said**, "But perhaps I can do something to help." **He then held up his claw, and gestured for someone to come closer. Nobody was willing to go up to the titanic dragon at first, but then Ashley and Natsu approached, mostly because Natsu was being pushed by Ashley.

"**I can sense a great calamity approaching this world,"** Särakaotus said**, "My actions have dealt you an early one, but it is nothing to compared to the coming. Perhaps my last action can ease you into a new era."** He then opened up his claw, as a glowing orb formed in it.

"**Prior to my arrival to this realm, I was an archivist."**

"A dragon archivist?" Heartfilia said, "Why does that not feel weird?"

"**I would keep important information safe," **the dragon continued**, "Perhaps now is a time to pass it on."** The orb then reformed into a strange book, which levitated into Ashley's open arms.

"What is this?" she asked.

"**Magic is but one of two forces that drive both worlds,"** Särakaotus explained**, "It has a twin, that is grounded not in the metaphysical, but the physical. You can observe it, study it, and use it to build a new world. It is known as 'Science'."**

"Science?" Natsu asked. But he couldn't ask any questions, as Särakaotus began to glow, and seemed to slowly fade away into glowing dust.

"**Forgive me," **he said**, "I was supposed to be a friend to humanity, not a doom bringer. I leave both Earthland and Edolas to you."** Särakaotus then smiled, and with that, the Eclipse Dragon faded away, as everyone watched the glow ascend into the sky.

**(with the Dragon Slayers)**

Faust laughed maniacally at the fallen Dragon Slayers.

"**As long as I wield the power of the Dorma Anim, I'll never lose! I'll build a new kingdom! A greater kingdom than has ever been, or ever will be again!"** The machine then lashed its tail out, sending the Slayers flying away again. Both Wendy and Natsu were beginning to feel their power ups starting to dwindle slightly. Gajeel then weakly got up to face them.

"Let's use our breath," he said, "If we put it all together, we can do it!" At this point, they were willing to do anything in an attempt to win. They then all inhaled sharply.

"Fire Dragon's…."

"Sky Eclipse Dragon's…."

"Iron Dragon's…."

"ROAR!" The three forms of attack all combined together, and struck at the Dorma Anim, creating such tremendous explosion that it blew apart the entire area.

"Did we do it?" Wendy asked softly.

"**Not in the least you stupid girl!"** They all looked up, to see that the Dorma Anim had leapt into the air.

"**Dragon Spread Cannon!" **Before the Dragon Slayers could react, the Dorma Anim fired its breath weapon in rapid succession, blasting all of them at once. When the dust faded, and the machine landed, the Slayers were all collapsed on the ground. Natsu grasped his left wing. He could tell it was broken.

"**It seems you're down for the count,"** Faust said, smirking**, "Apparently your so called 'infinite magic' is more finite than you let on. Let's just stop stalling the inevitable, and you just come with me as my fuel!"**

"Fuck you!" Natsu cried, as he weakly stood up, his wings dragging on the ground.

"Big brother," Wendy said softly.

"I ain't down yet!" Natsu declared, "I'm still here! And as long as I"m here, I won't ever let you win!"

"You idiot…," Gajeel whispered, "You're completely drained like us."

"We're Dragon Slayers!" Natsu said, "We ain't down till both our wings are broken! And even then, we fight on the ground! Now let's start practicing our dragon slaying abilities by slaying this bastard!"

"**You unruly brat!"** Faust bellowed**, "You should know your place!"** The Dorma Anim then fired its arm cannon, which Natsu managed to dodge, by ignoring his pain, and flapping away.

"I ain't letting you get the glory!" Gajeel said, as he leapt into the air, and thrust his iron through the Dorma Anim's foot, pinning it in place, "Go you two! Rip this thing apart!"

"Wendy!" Natsu yelled.

"Yes!" Wendy said, as her Sky Eclipse magic flared up again, and Natsu landed beside her. Natsu then wrapped his wings around Wendy, has his body flared up in fire.

"The dragon ascends into the sky, as its wings eclipse the sun, absorbing the great fires of the heavens," Wendy chanted, "Let the wind, fire, and darkness come together!" Natsu then open his wings, which were no cloaked in Wendy's power.

"Fires of the Eclipsed Star!" From the two, emerged a massive blast of combined magic energy. Faust, unable to move, could only watch as the massive burst of magic energy soared at him. _This power…_ he thought, _Is this really happening? _With a blinding explosion, the Dorma Anim was completely consumed. Faust was sent flying out of it, as he crashed to the ground. He weakly looked up, and immediately regretted it.

"This power…," he whispered, "Was this the power I tried to control?" Before him were three tremendous beasts. One was a great, red, winged serpent with a crown of flaring horns, a glowing chest. Another had light blue scales, with a crest of dark pink feathers, and feathered wings, and lines of feathers running the length of its spine, ending in a feathered tail. The last had steel colored scales, and a rectangular head, and four massive wings, and a tail hat was tipped with what could only be described as a sword.

"God help me," Faust said, as he collapsed before the sight of the great dragons.

**Note: I altered Scarlet and Knightwalker's exchange, as you may have noted. Any dash of something new is good in my book. Sorry to end ****Särakaotus, but its not like he could've remained in Edolas, considering what was going to happen, and bringing him to Earthland would've made things VERY complicated. So Id decided to at least have him leave an impression on the entire world. I also decided to give Natsu and Wendy a Unison Raid. They are essentially brother and sister after all.**

**I decided not to use their parents as their dragon appearance. Instead, I gave them their own appearance. Natsu is of course based of Smaug, Wendy was sort of based off a pink and purple version of Quetzalcoatl, and Gajeel's kind of like a metal dinosaur dragon.**

**Something I have to bring up quickly, is that people have brought up Nashi lately, and how Mashima said that that's going to be Natsu and Lucy's daughter. Well Mashima said that somewhat in jest when asked that. That said, I won't deny that its probably going to happen, but until she appears (which again, she probably will), Nashi's still a fan character, not a canon character.**

**Be sure to review.**


	62. The New Edolas

_**The New Edolas**_

The three Dragon Slayers stood triumphantly over their defeated foe, all three of them absolutely exhausted.

"Can't believe we had to work together again," Gajeel said, glaring at Natsu.

"Neither can I," Natsu said, also glaring, before opening his wings, "I'm going back to my boy now!" However, when he tried to flap up, he promptly collapsed back to the ground.

"Damn! I forgot my wing's broken," Natsu said, holding up his broken wing.

"Let me heal you," Wendy said, scurrying over, and beginning to try and mend her brother's wing.

"You did good, Wendy," Natsu said with a grin. Wendy looked up, and also smiled.

"Thanks, big brother," she said.

"You're so sweet I think my teeth are going to completely rot away," Gajeel said.

"Screw you!" Their exchange was suddenly interrupted by a massive rumbling. They all looked up, and saw the horror: the islands of Edolas were beginning to crash to the ground.

"The islands are falling!" Natsu said.

"Its… the end of the world," Wendy said in terror.

**(with the Exceeds)**

The Exceeds and taken shelter in the ruins further from the city. Shagotte could see the islands all collapsing as well.

"The islands were kept suspended in the air by the world's magic energy," Shagotte muttered, "And now that they're falling, that means…." Streams of magic energy began floating out of the world, into a massive void in the sky.

"…. magic is disappearing from this world."

**(in the city)**

_(Flashback)_

_Mystogan lead Pantherlily through the wreckage of the Edolas palace, into one of the few rooms that was still standing._

"_This is the room that produces the Anima," Pantherlily said, "What are we doing here, your Highness? I thought you closed all the Anima."_

"_Indeed I did," Mystogan answered, "But I recently came to a decision. Having seen both this world, and Earthland. There is conflict there as well, but for different reasons. The conflict in this world is from magic. It needs to change." It didn't take long for Pantherlily to realize what he was indicating._

"_I'm going to open a reverse Anima," Mystogan said, "This world is going to lose all of its magic."_

_(End Flashback)_

Mystogan did not regret what he was doing. If there was one thing Makarov taught him in the years, it was that anything was necessary to stop conflict. To go this extreme…

"Your Highness," Pantherlily said, "Are you still sure…"

"Absolutely," Mystogan answered, "Thanks to the dragon, the army has been scattered, and the central government destroyed. Anarchy will soon enshroud the people. Perhaps we get rid of the source of so much of the destruction, ever so much progress will be achieved. Change must be forced in this world. It won't happen naturally."

**(with Fairy Tail)**

"All our tools are falling apart!" one Fairy Tail member said.

"Everything is!"

"What's going on?" Heartfilia asked softly, cuddling the still crying Haru.

"The world is coming to end," Cocoa said softly, terse streaming down her sky.

"We're losing everything," Cana said softly, "Now that magic is disappearing."

"What're we going to do?" Elfman asked.

"Calm down!" Earth-Levy said, "Keep your heads!"

"'Keep our heads'?!" Edo-Levy snapped, "All the magic in this world is being lost! What'll happen to Fairy Tail?"

"We survived, but is the world going to die?" Natsu mumbled. As everyone cried out in dismay, the Exceeds stood in the middle.

"Carla," Happy said softly, "What are we going to do?" But Carla flew into the air.

"Will you all shut up!" she shouted. The guild looked up at her.

"In his dying moments, Särakaotus imparted to you a means to rebuild your world," Carla said, "Are you going to let his gift go to waste so quickly?" Ashley looked at the book that the dragon had given her. She then slowly opened, and started flipping through it slightly. She saw strange note, numbers, and pictures, details she never knew anything about.

"This is Science?" she asked, "How are we supposed to get all these different facts so soon? How can we rebuild a world from this?"

**(in the city)**

The people of the city were trying to regroup after the attack from the dragon, trying to salvage what they had. But now that magic was completely vanishing from the world, they were even greater chaos then when the dragon came, as all their devices and commodities began to stop functioning.

In the Anima room, Mystogan watched the magic swirl up in silence. Pantherlily also was watching, but couldn't do it as calmly as his prince did.

"You said you're hoping to bring progress by destroying the source of destruction," he said, "But all the people have known is what magic can do. Without the kingdom to give them any sort of order, there is going to be complete chaos."

"Which is why they need a new leader," Mystogan answered, "A new king to create a new Edolas out of the wreckage of the old." He then looked at Pantherlily.

"You must be the hero to untie this world," he said, "I could never be the king, because I'm the villain who took away the magic from this world. I'll also be the one who released the dragon over the city. You have to execute me, the rebellious traitor who unleashed the dragon upon the world, the villain of this time. You will become the hero on both sides, who struck me down." Pantherlily stared at him in silence, before he clenched his fists.

"No way in hell!" he declared.

"You're an Exceed, and a member of the Royal Army," Mystogan said, "You have trust on both sides. You're the only one who can do it." Pantherlily then hoisted up him by the color.

"You're going to run away from this!" he yelled, "You're the one who did this to Edolas! And now you're just going to dodge responsibility like this! You made this cross, its yours to bear! I can't be the hero! I'm a traitor to both Extalia and Edolas, there's no place for me to go after this!" After giving his rant, he then took a breath, and set Mystogan down.

"It doesn't matter what happens," Pantherlily says, "No matter what happens, both of us have to suffer somehow." Mystogan stared at the ground, clenching his fists.

"What are we going to do?" he asked.

"Commander!" Pantherlily turned, to see a soldier running forward.

What is it? If its about the magic, then I already know," he said.

"With the king and the rest of the commanders gone, you're the highest ranked person in the kingdom!" the soldier said, "You need to take command here!"

"How can I take command of a ruined kingdom that's losing its livelehood?" Pantherlily said.

"Its not just that!" the soldier said, "A demon has appeared in the city!" That got the attention of both Mystogan and Pantherlily.

"What?!" both asked.

**(in the city)**

Everyone stared in horror at the figure cloaked in swirling dark magic, and wind. At first it looked like a little girl, but her eyes were glowing with dark power, her teeth were razor sharp, and her dark hair swirled in the wind.

"I am Mar'Vel!" she declared, "Daughter of Särakaotus, the Dragon of the Eclipse! I am here to finish what my father started, and destroy this world!"

"Wendy?" Mystogan said, as he looked up in shock at the girl he knew since she was young.

Wendy was incredibly embarrassed. This had been Natsu's idea, that Wendy, using her newfound Eclipse powers, make herself out to be the bad guy, if only to maybe bring the people of Edolas together again.

"I will suck this world dry of magic energy!" "Mar'Vel" declared, "And then you will rot, just as your king is!" She then gestured towards Faust, who was tied to a post on the roof.

"The king!"

"She captured his Majesty!"

"Now my fellow dragon spawn!" Wendy said, "Destroy what remains of this city!" She hated talking like this, but she trusted her brother, and did hope that this would go all well. Natsu then swooped down, still in Dragon Aspect, as he breathed fire over the rubble.

"That guy's breathing fire!" Gajeel rather promptly did the same with is dragon iron. Wendy then held up her arms, creating a swirling mass of magic that took the shape of Särakaotus' head.

"Let all who oppose the will of my father crumble under the terror of dragon breath!" she said.

"Stop!" Mystogan yelled, as he leapt onto a roof, "The hell are you doing, Wendy!" Wendy glanced at him.

"Wendy?" she asked, "My name is Mar'Vel! The daughter of the Eclipse Dragon, and the Sky Dragon!"

"You don't need to continue this!" Mystogan said, "You've won!"

"I'm here to destroy this world!" Wendy said, "And as long as you live, Prince Jellal, I won't succeed!" That caught all the people below off guard.

"As in the prince that disappeared seven years ago?"

"Has the prince really returned after all this time?" Mystogan just glared at Wendy, not sure what to do.

From the balcony, Pantherlily watched in shock.

"What's going on here?" he asked.

"I can offer an explanation." Pantherlily looked over, and then saw Nadi coming up.

"Sir Nadi?"

"I overheard what you said to the Prince," Nadi explained, "I relayed it to them. They then came up with this plan." Pantherlily then looked out towards Mystogan, out near Wendy. _Nobody believes in him yet, _he thought_ Is he supposed to be the hero, and they're supposed be the villains?_

"I'd get ready if I were you," Nadi said, "You've got to be sure we're going to do."

"This is no way to bring any semblance of order!" Mystogan said as he charged Wendy and the others. He pulled out one of is staves, only to realize that it was completely dead.

"Without your magic, you're nothing!" Wendy said, as she inhaled, and released her breath attack. Mystogan dodged it easily. Too easily at that. Mystogan realized that she had intentionally missed.

"Stop it!" he yelled, "I'm not the hero!"

"Destroy him my brother!" Wendy ordered, pointing. Natsu then swooped past her, towards Mystogan.

"Damn it, Natsu!" Mystogan said as he jumped out of the way of Natsu's claws, only to get smacked in the face by his tail.

"Natsu!" Mystogan said, glaring at the Dragon Slayer who landed before him, his chest glowing, "You aren't going to fool anybody like this!"

"Then you better put on a good show," Natsu hissed, before springing at him again, swinging his wing at him, which Mystogan managed to avoid it. He then punched Natsu in the face.

"Do it your Highness!"

"Destroy the demon!"

"It seems that the crowd's buying it," Natsu said, cracking his neck, and swishing his tail.

"Then why don't you just go down already and stop wasting time?"

"Because this is the Fairy Tail way of saying goodbye," Natsu said, as he breathed a cloud of fire at Mystogan, who dodged it, until Natsu punched him the stomach.

"Recite the three laws anyone leaving Fairy Tail must have!" Natsu instructed. With a grunt, Mystogan punched him in the stomach. He didn't want to leave Fairy Tail, it was more of a home than Edolas ever was, and Makarov more of a father than Faust ever was. But….

"You must never reveal information that could threaten the guild," Mystogan said as he blocked an attack from Natsu, "You must never contact past clients for personal gain."

"And third?" Natsu said, as he smiled at his guild mate.

"Though our paths may diverge, you must live your life to the fullest everyday," Mystogan concluded, "you must never consider your own life to be worthless, and and you must never forget the friends who loved you." Right then, he punched Natsu in the stomach, and with that, Natsu keeled over.

"Give everyone my best," Myst… Jellal said, "Raise your son well."

"If you're ever in Earthland, drop by the guild," Natsu said, smiling. The crowd then erupted into cheers in praise of their prince. Wendy should've been holding up the act, but the sight still made her smile. Jellal then noticed Natsu's body beginning to glow, as did Wendy and Gajeel's. The Exceeds also began to glow.

"What's going on?" Pantherlily asked.

"The reverse Anima the prince created is sucking all magic from the world, that includes the magic within the Exceeds and the Earthlanders," Nadi explained. The rest of the Exceeds began to slowly ascend into the sky. Shagotte smiled as she watched her people ascend.

"I guess its time everyone stepped forward," she said.

**(with Fairy Tail)**

The Earthland Fairy Tail members also began to glow, ash they slowly ascended.

"Looks like we're going to," Earth-Levy said.

"Edolas is kicking us out," Earth-Juvia said.

"Don't go Earth-Juvia!" Surge cried.

"We really don't have anything anymore, do we?" Edolas Mirajane said, crying slightly.

"Come on!" Fullbuster said, thumping his Fairy Tail mark, "You've got your friends, don't you? That's the guild, not the magic!"

"Bye everyone!" Cocoa said waving, "I'll miss you!"

"Say bye bye, Haru!" Lucy said, smiling at her baby, who wasn't crying, but smiling now. Lucy moved his hand to emulate that he was waving. Ashley and Natsu smiled brightly at the sight of their counter's baby. Perhaps one day, they would have a little one of their own.

"So long Fairy Tail!" Happy said waving, crying.

"Come on tomcat!" Carla scolded, also tearing up, "Be stronger than that!" With that, the Earthland Fairy Tail disappeared into the air.

**(with the Erzas)**

Scarlet began to ascend into the air with the others. As she was, Knightwalker watched, but then noticed something by her side, which she grabbed, and with what remained of her strength, tossed it at Scarlet, who caught it.

"Your spear," Scarlet said, holding the Ten Commandments.

"You'll make better use out of it than me, Scarlet," Knightwalker said. Scarlet smiled.

"Let's not call each other that anymore," she said, "Erza."

"Likewise, Erza," Knightwalker agreed with a smile, as her counterpart vanished.

**(with the Exceeds)**

"GAH!" Lucky bellowed.

"We're being swept away!" Marl cried.

"Damn it!" Lucky roared, "Not my farm!" With that, they were sucked into the air.

**(in the city)**

The Dragon Slayers soared into the sky, toward the reverse Anima. As they were, Wendy then noticed a familiar form in the sky. A draconic form.

"Särakaotus," Wendy said. It was indeed him, but he looked different. He seemed astral, like some kind of heavenly creature. His body was also not the dark purple and black, but a magnificent white gold. He hovered in the air, his wings spread, his arms folded.

"_**It seems you made ample use of the gift I gave you,"**_ Särakaotus said.

"Thank you!" Wendy said, smiling, "It was a huge help! Are you coming back to Earthland?" Särakaotus just smiled gently. Wendy understood that, and tears began to well in he reyes.

"_**I won't see you again, but in due time, you'll see me again,"**_ the Eclipse Dragon said_** "In regards to your mother… Well, perhaps that's best left unknown for now. Farewell, Sky Daughter." **_With that, the astral dragon faded away.

"Farewell, Särakaotus," Wendy said, smiling through her tears, as she was consumed by the Anima.

Pantherlily smiled down on Jellal as he went to Earthland.

"Don't worry, Lily," Jellal said, "I'll make sure your gift to me is used well."

"That's all I need from you," Pantherlily said as he faded into the Anima.

Shortly after, the Anima faded away, as Jellal stared at the sky in silence. He then looked to his people, and held up his stave.

"Mar'Vel and her brothers are defeated!" he proclaimed, "From the ruins of the old kingdom, a new, greater kingdom will now be born!" The people cheered loudly at that proclaimation.

From over the hill, Fairy Tail watched the people.

"So, what do we do now?" Natsu asked Lucy softly. Lucy was silent as she opened the book again.

"I say its time we become the first science guild!" she declared, "We'll be the ones to lead our home into the future!" Fairy Tail was initially unsure what to do, but eventually, they came around, and all cheered.

As a new day began over the New Kingdom of Edolas, the people began to the long road to rebuild. And in the sky, the golden spirit of Särakaotus smiled over them.

**Note: That technically concludes the Edolas Arc, though we of course have the succeeding chapter and what happens there. Then we'll go into the Tenrou Island Arc, but first, I'm going to do a quick one shot, with Haru and his new family.**

**I know I killed Särakaotus, but I figured that his spirit would remain in Edolas, where he would watch over them. I know that science is not such an incredibly alien aspect in this universe, but its more the force of Science (which is why the "s" is capitalized), as a counter to the force of Magic.**

**Be sure to review.**


	63. Coming Home

_**Coming Home**_

The Anima spat the Fairy Tail mages out, as they all fell back to the ground. Lucy, fortunately, was caught by Natsu before she hit the ground, in his attempt to protect his son and girlfriend. He the looked around. It was raining, and they were in the woods, some very familiar woods.

"We're back!" he declared happily, pumping the fist that wasn't hugging Lucy.

"What about Fairy Tail?" Levy asked. They all ran out the woods, to an overlook where they saw Magnolia

"Everything's back to normal!" Natsu said.

"That's a relief!" Lucy said, as she tried to shelter Haru from the rain. To her surprise, Natsu handed her his scarf. Not inclined to question it, Lucy promptly wrapped Haru in it, shielding him from the rain.

"Don't get relaxed yet," Erza said, "We have to make sure everyone's aright!"

"GAH! Don't waste your time!" Lucky said as he suddenly flew in front of Erza, much to everyone's surprise.

"Mr. Lucky!" Happy said.

"We came here slightly before you," Marl said as she also fluttered up, "We made sure everyone was alright."

"Ms Marl?" Carla asked. Everyone looked up, and saw all the Exceeds soaring over them.

"How did they…." she muttered.

"It doesn't seem like they remember turning into lacrima," Juvia said.

"They all seem alright as well," Gray said.

"We can't let them stay here!" Carla declared, "They need to go back to their world!" All eyes went to her. Shagotte stared at the ground in shame.

"Carla," Happy said softly.

"We're sorry for throwing stones at you," one Exceed said.

"We really don't have anywhere to go," another said.

"That doesn't matter!" Carla yelled, "We were supposed to kill the Dragon Slayers!"

"GAH!" Lucky snapped, "Don't forget the Queen stole our eggs! We can't let that slide!" Shagotte continued to stare at the ground.

"That's actually untrue," one of the Elders explained, "It seems we need to finish the explanation."

"The dragon was correct in that an Exceed could never harm a human, let alone a Dragon Slayer," another said.

"Remember how the Queen could see the future? Well, one day, she saw a great monster flying through the skies. That monster was Särakaotus."

"We knew that there was a chance that Extalia wouldn't have the future, but maybe the Exceeds would, so we established a plan for 100 children to escape the world to Earthland."

"Naturally we had to maintain the story, so we made up the idea that we were sending the children slay the Slayers. We borrowed the Anima, we sent the children here. It was by sheer chance that you came together with the Dragon Slayers."

"But one thing happened that we didn't expect," Shagotte said, before looking to Carla, "You."

"Me?" Carla asked in surprise.

"You share my precognition abilities," Shagotte explained, "When you hatched, you had all these different pieces of the future flashing through your mind. That became your 'mission'."

"So then…," Happy said.

"There was no 'mission' or 'task' that you had to fulfill," Shote finished, "You just imagined it."

"We decided not to tell you the truth either," Nadi said, "We just said all those things to get you on our side."

"Forgive us, meow!" Nichiya said, "It was a true misstep."

"When all the lies finally caught up to me, I truly realized the sorrow and suffering I caused," Shagotte said, "The dragon was probably one of the best things that could've happen to our people, because it exposed the truth. I gave you my sword so that I would be the one punished for my sins, not my kin. I am the evil one here, not the Exceeds!"

"That's not true!" one Exceed said.

"You did everything to protect us!" another chimed in.

"We made it to Earthland, we should be finding those kids!"

"Let's work with humans this time! Let's go to a new beginning!" Carla listened to all of this, before taking a breath.

"Alright, I'll let you go," she relented, "But why do you I have the same power?" She then took noticed of the Queen shifting on her feet, and the Elders looked away nervously.

"Hey Mister Lucky?" Happy asked.

"Yeah, kid?" Lucky answered.

'

"Don't the Queen and Carla look a lot like?"

"A little I guess."

"Its kind of in how they talk and move."

"Talk and move?" Marl chuckled slightly.

"Must be in the blood," she said.

"Its great seeing everything working out in the end!" Nadi said, still pumping his paw.

"Its sure is," Natsu said, now pumping his fist as well. Lucy looked down and noticed Haru seemed to be trying to mimic Natsu.

"I don't want Haru picking up any habits at this age!" she called to her boyfriend. Meanwhile, Nichiya came up to Erza, and beginning sniffing her.

"You certainly have one heck of a Parfume, my dear," he said. He got rather promptly kicked away by Erza, who found him all to similar to another intrusive goblin she knew.

"We're going to settle in this area," Shagotte said, "Figure we'd explore this world as it came."

"That's great!" Wendy said.

"I wouldn't say that," Carla said, with her typical scowl. But then to her surprise, Shagotte embraced her. At first, Carla wanted to push her away, but then stopped, when she felt the warmth from her.

"Come over anytime you want, Happy!" Marl said.

"Aye ma'am!" Happy said.

"GAH! Don't come!"

"I like you two, you know," Happy said. Marl and Lucky both teared up with.

"Well I don't know if I like you!" Lucky snapped.

"Aye sir!" With that, the Exceeds departed, into the sky, as the mages watched.

"Let's head home!" Natsu said, "Let's introduce Haru to the others!"

"Yeah!" Lucy explained happily, "I want them to meet him too!"

"Nobody will have noticed any of this, right?" Juvia asked.

"Probably," Erza said, "But we do have to tell them about what happened with Mystogan." Levy then noticed Gajeel looking around nervously.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Where's Pantherlily?" Gajeel asked.

"You mean that giant Exceed?" Happy asked.

"Yeah, that one," Gajeel answered, "I don't see him anywhere!"

"I"m here!" Pantherlily's voice announced. Everyone turned to see the warrior and saw…. a cat Happy's size.

"How'd he get so small?" Happy asked.

"Apparently Earthland has some rules for Exceeds," Pantherlily said, "I'm just as regular as the others. But it doesn't matter. I want to join the guild that the Prince was a member of!"

"You bet!" Gajeel said as he suddenly pulled the cat into his arms, snuggling him, "You're my cat after all!" Pantherlily managed to jump out of his arms, and then they noticed he was carrying a rope.

"By the way, I found this suspicious person lurking around," He said as he yanked the rope. A girl suddenly came tumbling over. She had short white hair, and was wearing a light blue dress.

"I'm part of Fairy Tail as well!" she said. Erza, Gray, Natsu, and Happy, all stared at the girl. She was more than a little familiar.

"What's with this cat?" the girl asked, looking at Pantherlily.

"Stop trying to diss my cat!" Gajeel snapped.

"Lisanna?" Natsu asked softly.

"Could that be the Edolas Lisanna?" Carla asked, looking at Happy. However she got no answer as Happy just stared in shock.

"She got sucked into Earthland?" Lucy asked.

"What are we going to do?" The girl then glanced over at Natsu, and she then lunged herself at him, giving him a massive hug, tackling him to the ground, to everyone's surprise.

"I'm so glad to se you again!" the girl said, "I can finally see my Natsu!" _'My' Natsu?_ Lucy thought. The girl then turned her attention to Happy, and embraced him as well.

"Its so good to see you Happy!" she said, before looking up at Erza and Gray, "You too Erza and Gray!" She then saw Lucy and Wendy.

"Is that a little Wendy?" she asked, "And that's Lucy!" The girl didn't seem to initially notice the baby in Lucy's arm.

"Wait a minute!" Gray said, "You're telling us that you're… Earthland's Lisanna?"

"That's me," the girl said, tears welling in her eyes.

"EHHHH!" everyone cried.

"Lisanna's back!" Happy cried.

"She came back to life!" Natsu said, also esctaic. Despite her best efforts, twinges of jealousy spurred up in Lucy's mind. Here was Natsu's childhood friend, and the who raised Happy with him. Lucy held her and Natsu's son close.

"Stop you two!" Erza said, grabbing Happy by the tail, and Natsu by the collar, "Didn't you die two years ago?" Lisanna averted her eyes.

"I actually didn't die," she said, "During that job I took with Mira and Elfman, and I was hurt, I got sucked into one of those anima that was over Earthland. When I woke up, I went looking for the guild. I eventually found it, but I was quick to notice that it wasn't the one I grew up in. However, everyone one recognized me as the Edolas Lisanna, who had apparently actually died. Everyone was so happy to see me, including the Edolas Mira and Elfman. I couldn't find it in me to tell them the truth, so I joined up with them. For two years, it all seemed to work out, until my Natsu and Happy came around."

"Wait!" Natsu yelled, "So you knew?! Why didn't you say anything?!" Lisanna stared at the ground.

"When I heard Natsu's story, I wasn't sure what to do at first," she explained, "But I decided that I couldn't betray the people who I made so happy. So I decided to stay in Edolas. But when the magic got sucked out…"

_(Flashback)_

_As the magic energy was being drained away from the world around them, Lisanna's body began to glow, much to the surprise of Edolas Fairy Tail._

"_Hey, Lisanna, why's your body glowing?" Warren asked._

"_Are you…," Max began._

"_N… no!" Lisanna declared, "Its not what you think!" She then began to ascend into the sky slowly. Mirajane and Elfman looked up at her._

"_Mira! Elfman!" Lisanna cried, "Its…"_

"_We already knew," Mirajane said softly._

"_What… what?" Lisanna asked._

"_We were so happy, that we couldn't bring ourselves to say anything about it," Elfman explained, smiling gently. With that, Lisanna began to float further away from them._

"_We love you, and we don't want to lose you," Mirajane said, "But you're real brother and sister need you more. Go to them."_

"_Mira! Elfman!" Lisanna cried. Her adopted siblings just smiled up at her as she vanished through the Anima._

_(End Flashback)_

"And that's it," Lisanna said, "That's how I got here." Everyone listened in silence.

That's quite a story," Lucy said, smiling at her. Lisanna then looked at Lucy. There was a silence that exchanged between the two for a time.

"You're Earthland's Lucy!" Lisanna said, as she ran up to Lucy, and grabbed the hand that wasn't holding Haru, "You're Natsu's girlfriend!" Lucy wasn't sure what to what to say to that.

"Uh, yeah, I am," she said. Lisanna then looked at Haru, and whisked him into her arms.

"Hey!" Lucy protested.

"Your baby is so cute!" Lisanna said, as she cuddled the baby, before smiling at Lucy, "Be sure to take care of both him and Natsu!" Lucy wasn't sure what to do at first, but then smiled gently.

"You know it," she said.

**(in Magnolia)**

At the Cathedral cemetery, Mirajane and Elfman stood by the grave of Lisanna. Mirajane set a bouquet of flowers at the grave's base.

"We should really head back now," Elfman said. Mirajane took a breath.

"Okay," she said softly, "Can't leave Natsu waiting a time like this." They then began to walk away, but then they heard a very familiar voice calling.

"Mira! Elfman!" They all turned, to see none other than Lisanna sprinting towards them. Behind them was Team Natsu, along with Gajeel, Levy, and Juvia. Mirajane and Elfman just stared, as they watched their lost sister sprung at them, hugging Mirajane.

"I'm home!" Lisanna declared happily, snuggling close to her brother and sister. With tears streaming down her eyes, Mirajane gently wrapped her arms around Lisanna, as Elfman embraced both of them.

"Welcome home," Mirajane said in pure joy. Haru laughed happily.

**Note: Let me take this time to say, I actually like Lisanna, and I'm not a fan of the stories where Lisanna is a malicious bitch trying to sabotage Natsu and Lucy's relationship. In my opinion, Lisanna is a major NaLu supporter.**

**Next chapter will be a oneshot, about the guild adjusting to Haru.**

**Be sure to review.**


	64. A Day With Haru

_**A Day With Haru**_

It went without saying that Lisanna's return to Fairy Tail elicited immense joy throughout the guild. Much of the guild was gathered around Lisanna welcoming her home. However, the rest of the guild, including Lisanna herself, was crowded around Lucy, who was cradling Haru in her arms.

"He's just so adorable!" Lisanna said.

"He looks just like Natsu!" Levy said, "Though he's got Lu's eyes!"

"Now I'm going to be his big brother!" Romeo said happily. Lisanna then looked around.

"I guess Haru's just the beginning, though," she said, "Its look like the whole guild has changed."

"Perhaps," Freed said, "But I don't think anything can beat a baby's birth." Lisanna saw the Thunder God Tribe assembled before her.

"Hey guys!" she said, smiling, "Weird for you to be here."

"Not exactly!" Evergreen declared, showing off, "I am a pure fairy!" She was now wearing her hair down and wavy, as well as a coat lined with fur.

"You just changed your hair," Wendy noted.

"Juvia did as well!" Juvia said, showing off that she had returned to her original style from before she joined Fairy Tail, "The Edolas Gray clearly liked it, so Juvia decided that her Gray would like it too!"

"Really, but didn't Gray fall in love when you had the other hairstyle?" Carla inquired.

"Oh that's right, he did!" Juvia cried, suddenly very scared, "Juvia needs to change it back!"

"Actually," Gray admitted, blushing slightly, "I kind of like your old style!" Juvia paused, before she let out a cry, as she exploded into a torrent of water, which coiled around Gray like a snake.

"Juvia loves you so much!" she cried. Gray just chuckled. Haru just looked up in wonder at the people surrounding his mother. Lucy smiled, as she held her baby close.

"He's going to be one hell of a fire mage!" Natsu declared happily, slinging his arm around Lucy's shoulder.

"Fire mage?" Lucy asked, arching an eyebrow at her boyfriend, "I'm going to teach him about the Celestial Spirits, and all the different constellations."

"Let's hope Haru takes after Lucy," Macao said, "I don't think we could take another fire breathing destroyer in the guild."

"Actually, that makes me wonder," Alzack said, before turning to Lisanna, "What was the Natsu like in the other world?" Lisanna giggled slightly.

"Let's just say he wasn't anything like our Natsu," Lisanna answered, "He was more like 'Oh! Please don't hurt me Lucy!'." Everyone cackled at that.

"Edolas was certainly quite an adventure," Erza said, smiling, "We took on a kingdom, freed a dragon, fought our counterparts…."

"But it was all outdone by Haru's birth!" Levy declared, before smiling big at Lucy, "And of course I'm to be the godmother, right? After all, I have been your best friend since you joined."

"'Best friend'?" Mirajane said, as she loomed over Levy, "Need you forget I've supported Lucy and Natsu's love since they got together, not to mention I've been like Lucy's sister all this time. I'm to be the godmother!"

"Are you kidding!" Lisanna declared, "I'm one of Natsu's oldest friends, not to mention that Edolas Lucy and I were really close. I should be the godmother!" At first, Lucy had been slightly nervous about Lisanna's return, but Lisanna turned out to be one of the biggest supporters of Lucy and Natsu's relationship, and took every opportunity to cuddle with Haru.

"I think all of you are forgetting a rather important fact," Erza said, as she spun her sword in her hand darkly, "I made a vow to protect Haru. As such, I already laid claim to the title of godmother."

"Are you all insane?" Cana said, picking out a card, "Who here was one of the first to lead the charge to save Lucy when Frieze kidnapped her? Not to mention that I spurred her on for getting with Natsu!"

"Juvia should actually be the godmother!" Juvia piped up, "I owe it to Lucy to protect her son after all the harm that was caused to her!" One of the girls who wasn't clamoring for the title, was Wendy. She was already Haru's aunt, so she didn't see a need to be godmother as well.

In due time, all the girls were now actively fighting over who got to be the godmother (and yet nobody going after the godfather title, which Lucy found rather strange), so much so that an all out brawl was starting. Lucy then noticed Haru beginning to squirm slightly, clearly not liking all the noise. She then looked to Natsu, who understood.

"Everyone! Listen to Lucy!" That got the girl's attention, as they looked to her.

"Natsu and I actually thought a lot about this," Lucy said, "And we think about how everyone in Fairy Tail is family, and that we can trust everyone. So with that…." She then smiled.

"We decided that every girl in Fairy Tail would be Haru's godmother, just like every guy would be his godfather." Everyone looked at the couple in surprise.

"Well, I guess I can deal with that," Erza said. The rest of the girls all relented, having been willing to compromise. During all of this, Pantherlily looked on, not sure what to make of this sight.

"This is one noisy place," he said.

"You'll get used to it," Carla said.

"Its not noisy, its fun!" Happy said.

"I know it must be rather overwhelming at first," Erza said as she walked up, smiling, "But you'll get used to it." Pantherlily smiled.

"I know you're a different person, but seeing a familiar face is good," he said.

"If it helps," Erza said, "I've got this." She then summoned up the Ten Commandments.

"Knightwalker's spear," Pantherlily noticed, "So you took it?"

"The Erza there said that I would get more use out of it then she would, so she gave it to me," Erza explained.

"A pity I couldn't bring my Buster Arm," Pantherlily said, "It would've come in quite handy here."

"Hey! Salamander! Little girl!" Gajeel bellowed,as he jumped up, "Let's fight our cats!"

"Eh?" Wendy and Natsu said together.

"Lily is the best here!" Gajeel declared proudly.

"You kidding?!" Natsu snapped, "Happy's way better than your lame cat!"

"Uh…. don't I have a say in that?" Happy asked nervously.

"Come now, Happy," Carla said, "Don't sell yourself short."

"Did you just support me?" Happy asked.

"You're not selling yourself short," Pantherlily said, "But I'm a trained soldier, and I don't like hurting others unless necessary."

"Good to have someone else of maturity here," Erza said with a smile, "It can get a little…" She was interrupted when she was clobbered in the face with a chair. A typical Fairy Tail brawl had flared up, and was inevitable, it got Erza's attention.

"You going to challenge me!" she demanded as she leapt into the fray. Pantherlily blinked before chuckling.

"Maturity is quite fickle here, I notice," he said. The guild went through its regular fights, more and more people got sucked into it. Lucy was nervous that Haru would get upset by the noise again, but this time he was laughing, which caused Lucy to laugh as well.

"You really are your father's son, aren't you?" she said, "Always excited by a good fight." All of this Makarov and Gildarts watched passively.

"So we regain one old member, and get an entirely new one as well," Makarov said, "Though its a shame about Mystogan. I just hope he'll find his way there in Edolas." Gildarts smiled.

"That guy is a true Fairy Tail mage," he said, "He'll have no trouble there." Makarov chuckled at that.

"That's our guild," he said.

**(three months later)**

_Well Mom, its been three months since I became a Mom myself. Its still amazing to think that. If Dad has found out about Haru's birth, he hasn't tried to reach out to me. In all honesty, I'm not sure if I want to reach out to him myself. Maybe Dad and I parted on good terms, but that can't undo everything that happened between us after you passed away. _ Lucy was going to continue writing, but then she heard Haru crying, set her pen down, and picked Haru out of the basket that was beside her writing space.

"Alright, sweetie," Lucy said softly, rocking him slightly, "What's wrong?" Haru continued to cry, as Lucy wondered what was wrong. He didn't need to be changed, Lucy had just fed him, and he had been sleeping rather well.

"Do you miss Daddy?" the boy's mother asked. Natsu had left to go to the guild, and though he insisted that he bring Haru with him, Lucy, who wanted to write to her mother, convinced him to let her keep him. Haru continued to cry.

"What say we head back the guild?" Lucy said, as she got her things together, and put a baby carrier over her arms, before setting Haru into it. Haru, somehow realizing what he and his mother were doing, stopped crying, and began laughing. Lucy then headed down the road, back towards Fairy Tail.

**(at Fairy Tail)**

When Lucy arrived at the guild hall, she was greeted by Mirajane running up to her.

"Hi Lucy! Hi Haru!" she said, as she picked up the boy, and spun around with her, "Your Aunty Mira is so happy to see you!" Ever since Haru first arrived at the guild, both he and his mom had been the center of more than a few people's attention.

"Lucy!" Natsu said happily, as he ran over to his family. Haru saw his father coming, and happily reached for him. Mirajane reluctantly handed him over.

"Hey Haru!" Natsu said, holding up his son, "Your dad sure missed you!" Haru laughed, happy to have his father's attention like that. Lucy smiled as she sat down beside Wendy.

"I never get tired of seeing those two together," she said.

"It is pretty nice," Wendy agreed, also smiling, "Have you and Natsu considered going on jobs again?" Lucy paused.

"Well, Haru has been occupying our attention for a while," she said, "We haven't really had the time."

"You know you guys can go ahead and go on a job," Erza said, as she sat across from the two, "We can all sit and watch over our collective godson."

"Well…," Lucy said. Its not that she didn't trust her guild mates, far from it, but this was her son, and she didn't want to leave him.

"Come on, Luce!" Natsu said, as he came over, Haru balanced on his shoulders, "We can't let Haru know his parents slacked off when he was little. Right little guy?" Haru laughed at that.

After some persuading, Lucy finally agreed to let Fairy Tail watch over her baby. She and Natsu then grabbed a smalltime quest off the board, one that would have them back home in the same day. Wendy volunteered to go with them, saying that her status as Natsu's sister meant that she had to go with them. And of course that meant that Happy and Carla had to go as well.

Once she was done showing Haru with goodbyes, as well as feeding him so as to tie him over, Lucy, Natsu, Wendy, Happy, and Carla, all departed. That left Fairy Tail all looking at Haru, who was sitting on the table, sucking on the red stuffed dragon that Cana got him.

"I just realized," Levy said, "What if he gets hungry? He's not weened yet, so he still needs Lucy."

"That's why Lucy fed him before they left," Erza said, "I don't think we need to worry about that. So with that said…" She then came up to Haru, and re-quipped into a cat suit.

"Want to play with the kitty, little one?" she asked, as she waved her paw glove at him. Haru looked up briefly at his Aunt Erza, before turning his attention back to his plush. Erza looked disappointed.

"Really, you don't want to play with me?" she asked.

"Stand back, he needs a real little kitty," Mirajane said, as she transformed into a cat girl, "Nyah!" Haru looked up at her, and cocked his head curiously, not sure what to make of all of this.

"At the rate you're going, you're just going to scare him," Gray said, as he created a small snowflake in his palm, and held it out to Haru. Intrigued, the baby reached over, and touched it. However, the sudden cold surprised him, and he began to tear up slightly.

"Uh oh," several people said at once. With that, Haru began to cry.

"No! No!" Lisanna said as she picked Haru up, "Please don't cry! Here, look!" She then turned into a bunny, and let Haru sit on her stomach. That made Haru stop crying, but he still looked rather sad.

"Geez, that brat is so hard to please," Gajeel said, as he looked over from his table.

"He's a baby!" Levy scolded, "He doesn't understand everything around him."

"The boy needs something more flashy," Bixlow said as his babies floated up next to him, "I once took a job where I had to entertain some kids. Leave this to me." The dolls then began to dance around Haru, singing and bouncing. Haru didn't know what to make of this strange sight.

"Well, at least he's not crying anymore," Lisanna, as she turned back to normal, and set Haru back on the table.

"Lucy said that Haru often likes to watch Natsu make fireworks," Erza said.

"Alright then," Macao said, stepping forward, "Leave this to me!" He then held up his finger, and his purple fire swirl around Haru. But Haru seemed all around disinterested, as he crawled over, and retrieved his dragon plush, and began cuddling it again.

"Come on!" Macao protested, "That was just as good as Natsu's fire!"

"You know that's not true," Wakaba said.

"Al and I can do a gun show for him," Bisca said, spinning her pistol through her fingers.

"I don't think a three month old would be that into guns," Kinana said.

For the rest of the time, the guild threw everything at the wall, and checked to see if anything would stick. Cana tried some card shows, but it proved to intricate for Haru to really absorb. Levy tried reading him some books, but he was too young to understand what was going on. Evergreen used her Fairy Dust to try and entertain the boy, and while it looked like Haru was liking it, if not for Erza's intervention, it could've exploded. Juvia volunteered to try something, but seeing as the boy couldn't swim, they told her otherwise.

"What's wrong little bro?" Romeo asked, as he came up to Haru, "Why don't you like anything?" Haru then looked up at Romeo, and to everyone's surprise, smiled and reached for him.

"Seems like he's taken a shine for Romeo," Warren said. Erza, Mirajane, Levy, and Lisanna all resigned themselves to a corner.

"Outdone by Romeo of all people," Erza said solemnly, a shade looming over her, and the rest of the girls. For the remainder of the day, Romeo sat by Haru, playing with him, never getting bored somehow. Eventually, the boy's family showed back up.

"Haru!" Lucy cried happily, whisking her son up, cuddling him, "Mommy missed you so much!"

"Don't forget Dad!" Natsu said, hoisting up Lucy in her own right.

"How'd the job go?" Max asked Wendy.

"Great," Wendy answered, smiling, "Natsu even volunteered to get on a train to get there and back as soon as possible."

"Natsu suggesting to go on a train?" Wakaba asked, "The end times must be upon us."

"From the looks of things, it might not have been necessary," Macao said, looking over at the family.

"Of course it wouldn't be," Erza said, "They could leave Haru with us for seven years, and the guild would take care of him.

**Note: With this completed, next chapter will kick off the Tenrou Island arc. I've been bumping around ideas to differentiate it from canon in my head, and I've got a few.**

**Be sure to review.**


	65. S-Class Exams

_**S-Class Exams**_

The wind softly blowed over the golden grass, and through the trees. A young man with dark hair, wearing a black robe lay on the ground, apparently sleeping, completely silent. However,r his attention as drawn by the sound of something approaching. The man looked up, and saw a pack of wolves approaching him, after which he stood up.

"Please don't come any closer," he said softly, "I don't want to hurt you." However, one of the wolves sprung at him, only to fall to the ground. Soon, other wolves began to keel over, as birds fell from the sky, and trees wilted. Everything around the man was dead, as if their life force had simply been extracted from them.

"The world seems very intent on rejecting me," the man said, as he looked around the ruined land, and took a sad breath, "I suppose there's nothing to do now, but wait for you, Natsu."

**(at the Magic Council)**

"So you're telling game all of this was caused by a single guild?!" a Councilman demanded angrily. He and the rest of the Magic Council were assembled in their headquarters to discussed one of their banes.

"And who else would it be, but Fairy Tail?" another Councilman answered.

"As always, they're causing trouble."

"Let's not get to riled up," Org said, "We can't forget that they helped remove the Oracion Seis."

"They did it without our permission!"

"Is that really important?" Org asked.

"Yes it is! Guilds can't act on their own!" a Councilwoman said.

"They broke the rule that prohibits infighting amongst guilds, dark guild or not."

"It also stands to reason that the Balam Alliance members might try and seek revenge."

"Add together they called Jellal a 'friend'. They're a reckless bunch, are they not?" Org clenched his teeth. It was apparent that the Council was looking for reasons to try and get rid of Fairy Tail.

"We must make an example of them! We can't let reckless attitudes like this go on."

"Correct," the chairman, Gran Doma declared, "We must remind the magic world who leads them. Next time Fairy Tail gets our attention, we'll have them dissolved!" The Council, save for Org, applauded him.

**(at Lucy and Natsu's house)**

"Nothing like a hot shower after a long day," Lucy said, as she let the hot shower water run over her body. She had just come home from a job, a particularly tiring job. The job was a courier task, where she and Natsu had to go from one side of the country, to the other, just guarding the cargo. Since the job was fairly safe, Lucy had agreed with Natsu to bring their son with them for the first time. It had gone decently well, until this trio of idiots with large asses decided to give train robbing a go. They weren't a real threat, but Lucy's maternal instincts flared up, and she sicked Taurus on them. Fortunately for the "robbers", Wendy was also with them, so they were saved from the brink of death. At this point, Lucy was just thankful that the day was over, and just wanted to relax with her son, maybe work on her novel some more.

The shower that Lucy was using had been added onto Natsu's house after she moved in. Natsu would often bathe in the river, and Lucy refused to live in a place without a legitimate bathroom, so they built one in. To save some money, Natsu would use his dragon fire to heat the place. And while dragon fire could incinerate a person no problem, but when finely managed like that, it could prove quite pleasant. One more plus about being with a Fire Dragon Slayer, one would always have warmth.

"Nice place you got here."

"Well Natsu and I….," Lucy began, before noticing that another voice that shouldn't be present. Lucy turned, and with a scream, noticed Cana sitting in her bath.

"Do you think Natsu would let me live here too?" she asked.

"What are you doing in my house!" Lucy demanded.

"Isn't this technically Natsu's house?" Cana asked.

"Well…," Lucy said, averting her eyes rather nervously, "What are you doing here?"

"Hanging out," Cana answered, staring at the ceiling, "This place is nicer than my place."

"You're not going to leave, are you?"

"I wouldn't bet on it."

"Fine then," Lucy said with a sigh, "Let me join you then." She then got in the tub, and sat across from Cana.

"Where are Natsu and Haru?" the brown haired girl asked.

"Natsu's out showing Haru around the forest," Lucy answered, "But I think the better question is what's up with you? You're looking kind of down."

"Oh, don't worry about it," Cana said.

"Well now I have to worry about it," Lucy said, "Come on, I'm putting my friend hat on." Cana sighed slightly.

"How are things going with your dad?" she asked. Lucy paused, surprised but the question.

"Well, they aren't going badly if that's what you mean," she said, "He hasn't really tried to get in touch. He may have a grandson now, but if he wants to see him, then he's got to come here."

"Oh, well, I guess that's not bad," Cana said, as she looked away.

"Come on, just tell me," Lucy said with a smile, "You can tell me anything." Cana then looked straight at Lucy.

"I'm considering leaving the guild," she said.

**(at Fairy Tail)**

"… and then she just left," Lucy said, "The girl wouldn't even explain herself." She was sitting at the bar, with Haru in his basket beside her, sleeping. Mirajane just chuckled gentle.

"Actually, this is happens all the time around this time," she explained.

"Wait, what?" Lucy asked.

"Nobody really knows why," the waitress explained, "But its like clockwork, but she never does it this time of year."

"What goes on now?" Lucy asked. Turns out she got her answer when Natsu ran up to her.

"Come on Lucy! We got to go on a job!" he said.

"Aye sir!" Happy said.

"Wait, I've got to keep an eye on Haru," Lucy said, "I can't go now."

"Just bring him with us!" Natsu said, as he lifted up his son, "Would you like to go with us, buddy?" Haru blinked slightly, still half asleep.

"Let me see the request," Lucy said, holding out her hand, and after taking one look said, "No way in hell! Way to dangerous!"

"But Lucy…," Natsu whined.

"Look, just go on your own," Lucy said, "This may be dangerous for Haru, but no trouble for you. I'm not going to disappear while you're gone."

"Really?"

"No, not really," Lucy said, "What do you think?' For once, Natsu understood her sarcasm, and he and Happy ran out of the guild. Not long after, other people began clambering over one another, desperate to apparently get their jobs.

"What's with everyone?" Lucy asked, holding onto her son under the table. Meanwhile, Lisanna and Wendy were listening to Carla.

"So you can see into the future?" Wendy asked.

"In a sense, yes," Carla answered, "After the queen told me about the ability, I'm trying to get some fitness over it."

"That sounds really cool!" Wendy said.

"Can you tell me who Haru is going to marry?" Lisanna asked.

"I can't see that far into the future," Carla said, before looking around, "Let's find an example." She then saw Macao sitting on the table.

"Take Macao," she said, pointing, "In short order, Wakaba will come over and start talking about the 'young people'." The girls watched, as Macao sat on the table, and sure enough, Wakaba walked up to him.

"Yo Macao!" he said.

"What's up?" Macao asked.

"The years are just spinning on, aren't they" Wakaba said, "The kids we all know sure are growing fast."

"I guess so," Macao said, "Now our Natsu's got a son of his own."

"We sure aren't as young as we used to be."

"Speak for yourself, buddy, I'm still in my prime."

"Wow," Lisanna said, "That's pretty impressive. You got a power up to, didn't you Wendy?"

"I guess I did," Wendy answered, "I absorbed some of Särakaotus power, and it merged with mine. Though since we got back, I haven't really tried using it."

"You should," Lisanna said, "Make sure you've got the proper fineness on it." They then suddenly heard the sound of metal crashing together.

"Speaking of fineness," Carla said, as they turned to see Pantherlily and Erza sparring, with Pantherlily in his combat form. The swords were swinging so intensely that they could barely be seen. However, it came to an abrupt end, when with a "pop" Pantherlily turned back to his small form.

"Apparently the time I can stay in this form is rather short," he said.

"That's some top notch swordsmanship," Erza said.

"I would sometimes spar with Erza Knightwalker," Pantherlily said, "You're just as good as she is, maybe even better by a margin." Lucy rolled her eyes at the sight of all the people, as she set her son back in his basket.

"I guess there will always be those who don't change that way," she said.

"Don't worry, it'll make sense tomorrow," Mirajane said.

**(the next day)**

On the following day,the guild was completely full, assembled before the stage. It was as if the entire guild had assembled for whatever Makarov was going to announce.

"So will we finally get some information now?" Lucy asked, holding Haru.

"I'm curious too," Wendy said, on Lucy's left. Natsu, who was on Lucy's right, was fidgeting in place in anticipation.

"Calm down, you're making Haru anxious," Lucy said. Eventually, the curtains opened, as everyone cheered for the announcement. Assembled on the stage were Makarov, and the S-Class mages, including Mirajane.

"Now!" Makarov said, "I will announce the participants of the S-Class Promotion Trial!"

"Eh!" Lucy and Wendy said

"Hell yeah!" Natsu said, his chest lighting up in excitement.

"The test grounds will be Tenrou Island," Makarov explained, "Our guild's sacred ground." Sounds of "ooooh" resonated across it.

"There will be eight participants," Makarov said, "They are the following: Natsu Dragneel…."

"I'm all fired up now!"

"…Gray Fullbuster…"

"High time."

"… Juvia Lockser…"

"Juvia too?"

"… Elfman Strauss…"

"Only a real man can do this."

"… Cana Alberona…"

"…."

"… Freed Justine…"

"I'll take Laxus' place."

"…. Levy McGarden…"

"Me, really?"

"… and Mest Gryder." There were sounds of disappointment and support from around the rest of the guild members.

"Can't believe I wasn't chosen," Alzack lamented.

"Don't worry," Bisca said, patting him on the shoulder, "There's always next year." Meanwhile, Jet and Droy were cheering the fact that Levy was chosen.

"Well that explains everything," Lucy said, "So everyone was trying to get the Master's attention."

"Good luck big brother!" Wendy said to Natsu.

"We'll be cheering for you," Lucy said, "That includes Haru." Haru laughed, absorbing the excitement. Lucy then looked at Cana. _Is that why Cana was thinking about leaving?_

"This time around, only one will pass," Makarov explained, "You all have one week to prepare yourself. I suggest you use it wisely."

"Why wasn't I chosen?" Gajeel demanded.

"I heard of what you did," Pantherlily said, "It stands to reason that you aren't fully trusted to be S-Class yet."

"You kidding?!" Gajeel snapped, "I could kick everyone's ass!" Carla watched all the antics at Wendy's side, as she shook her head.

"Its just a title," she said, before suddenly, a series of images flashed through her mind. Images of a crying Cana, Natsu holding Lucy in his arms, a dark haired man, and a titanic serpentine form behind crackling lightning.

_What was that?_ she thought.

**Note: This brings the S-Class exams to the start. Let's see how things go there.**

**Be sure to review.**


	66. The Perfect Partner

_**The Perfect Partner**_

"Mira and Erza will now explain the rules of the exam for the new members here," Makarov explained.

"Alright," Mirajane said, "First of all, all participants are to select one partner within the week."

"And it of course goes without saying that not only must should the partner be a guild member, but he can't be an S-Class mage," Erza continued.

"I guess that is kind of obvious," Wendy said, "If anyone had Mira or Erza as partners, then they'd win pretty easy."

"The rest of the rules will be revealed when the exam begins," Makarov said, "However, bear in mind, all three S-Class mages will be participating in the game.

"Wait does that mean…," Elfman began.

"Yep!" Mirajane said cheerfully, "I'll also be participating this time around."

"So you have to beat an S-Class to _become_ an S-Class?!" Lucy said, "How's that fair?"

"Well, they probably won't be going all out," Max said.

"I get a chance to take on Erza and Gildarts?" Natsu asked, "That's freaking awesome!"

"You're happy about this?" Gray asked.

"When the week wraps up, the eight candidates, and their partners are to come to Hargeon port," Makarov said, "Take it away!"

Later, the group was eating together, discussing the exams.

"So, has everyone already got a partner?" Lucy asked, as she rubbed Haru's head in his basket.

"I sure do," Natsu said, "Happy of course."

"Aye!" Happy said.

"Really?" Lucy asked, almost somewhat disappointed Natsu didn't pick her.

"Well, I need you here to keep an eye on Haru," Natsu said, "When I become S-Class, we're going to have a big celebration."

"That ain't fair!" Elfman said, "What if its a flying contest?"

"Considering that is probably going to be fighting, Natsu's going to be at a disadvantage," Gray said.

"Shut up Gray!" Happy said, "I'm going to make Natsu S-Class!"

"Come on Happy, let's go train!" Natsu declared.

"Aye sir!" As Lucy and Lisanna watched the two leave, Lucy looked to LIsanna.

"Why is he so intent on becoming S-Class?" Lucy asked.

"Well, he thinks that he can meet Igneel if he becomes S-Class," Lisanna said, "And when Natsu's got a goal in his mind, I don't think anything can stop him." Lucy smiled at Natsu, before looking to Haru.

"Let's both root for you daddy," she said.

"What about you Gray?" Wendy asked.

"Well, I would've asked Juvia to be my partner," Gray said, "But…"

"Then Juvia's going to forfeit!" Juvia declared, "She has to be your partner!" Gray wrapped his arm around his girlfriend's shoulder.

"Don't worry about that," he said, "I'd be just as happy if you become S-Class." Juvia looked up in surprise at that statement.

"Well…," Juvia smiled lightly, before continuing, "Sure! Juvia will do her best!"

"Then who is going to be your partner?" Lucy asked.

"That would be me," Loke said as he popped up.

"Loke!" Elfman said, "What're you doing here?"

"Loke and I decided a year ago that we'd work together if something like this came up," Gray explained. That caught Lucy off guard.

"Sorry, Lucy," Loke said, "I'm putting our contract on hold until we're done. Don't worry, the gate is using my own power, not yours."

"Shouldn't you have run this by me first?" Lucy asked.

"Are you even still a member?" Elfman asked.

"Of course," Loke answered, as he showed off his guild mark, "I never stopped being a member. Together, Gray and I are going to dominate this exam."

"I swear, if I weren't so peaceful," Lucy said with a pout.

"Then who is going to be Juvia's partner?" Juvia asked.

"You're looking at her," Lisanna said, raising her hand.

"You!" Elfman said.

"I was pretty close with the Edolas Juvia," Lisanna explained, "And this Juvia's really cute."

"Really?" Juvia asked.

"Sure thing, sister!" Lisanna said, grabbing her shoulders, "Forget Loke and Gray, _we're_ going to dominate this exam!"

"Wait a minute!" Elfman yelled, "Whose going to be my partner?!"

"I assumed you already had one," Lisanna said, gesturing.

"Really?" Elfman asked, before glancing over to where Lisanna was gesturing, and saw Evergreen staring so hard Elfman felt like it was going to set him on fire.

"Seems like she's kind of annoyed that Freed chose Bixlow instead of her," Lisanna said, "So why not?" Elfman could think of several reasons why not.

Meanwhile, Shadow Gear was celebrating how Levy had gotten the nomination, while at the same time, insisting on being Levy's partner.

"I can get you anywhere instantly!" Jet said, "I should definitely be your partner!"

"You kidding?" Droy protested, "I'm much stronger than you! I should be the partner!" As the two continued to argue, Levy just sighed.

"If you want to become an S-Class, then you shouldn't be working with these dolts," Gajeel said as he materialized behind her.

"Gajeel!" Levy said.

"I can blow any rival clear out of the water," the Iron Dragon Slayer said.

"Well, I'm honestly not sure I can do anything in this," Levy said, "I'm no fighter, especially compared to everyone else."

"Have you been listening to me?" Gajeel said, as he lifted her up by the collar, "I can and will make you a big shot here in the guild." Levy looked up, as she flushed a light red, before sighing, and smiling.

"Eh, why not?" she said.

"Levy!" Jet and Droy sounded out.

"With all due respect **(which let's admit isn't much)**, this does give her a better chance," Pantherlily said to the pair.

**(with Wendy)**

Wendy was heading back to the dorms, with Carla floating beside her. The Sky Dragon Slayer looked up and smiled.

"Its starting to snow," she said. Carla remained silent, which caused the girl to frown.

"Maybe we should move to Natsu's place," Wendy said, looking at Carla, "We'd be closer to our family, after all." However, her Exceed remained silent again, in one of the few subjects, Wendy was sure she'd have an opinion on.

"What's wrong?" she asked, "You've been quiet all day."

"I just have an ominous feeling about the upcoming exam," Carla finally explained, "No matter what, you shouldn't get involved in this."

"I don't think you need to worry about that," Wendy said with a smile, "No one should want me as a partner."

"I wouldn't say that." The girls turned, and saw a tall man with close cropped, black hair, and a scar on the side of his face.

"My name's Mest," he said, "I was Mystogan's right hand man, and closest friend."

**(at Natsu and Lucy's house)**

Natsu concentrated, as the fire flared up around him, evaporating much of the snow around him. He then activated his Dragon's Eye, which glowed bright. Natsu then held up his hand, and concentrated the fire all the fire around it into a single orb. He then flicked it at a nearby rock, which burned right through it, and exploded in a massive trust of flames.

"Not enough," Natsu said, as he jumped up to his feet, and his chest lit up. Happy watched all of this.

"With Dragon's Eye, there's no way he can lose!" he declared.

**(with Lucy and Haru)**

Lucy smiled as she looked up at the falling snow.

"Look Haru, snow!" she said, "Its sure is pretty isn't it?" Haru giggled slightly, as she grabbed at the falling snowflakes.

"Let's go back home to sit by your father's fire, that sound good?" Lucy asked as she continued walking. Then her attention as taken by the sound of groaning nearby. The blonde glanced over, and saw Cana keeled over in a nearby alley, a pile of empty bottles next to her.

"Cana!" Lucy cried.

**(at the house)**

"I owe you my ass, sister," Cana said, with an embarrassed smile, "Without you, I'd be a beer popsicle now." Lucy had managed to bring Cana back to her house, where she was warming up by the fire in the living room.

"Natsu and Happy are out training, so don't expect to see them," Lucy said, as she sat on her couch, Haru in her lap, "But I'm more concerned about you. This isn't just acting weird, this is acting just plain stupid!"

"I know it is," Cana said solemnly, "I guess I'm just suffering from the typical S-Class Exam Blues."

"That's one way to describe it," Lucy said, with a sweat drop, "But who cares if you lose? There's always next year." Cana let out a breath.

"Perhaps I'd be more inclined to agree with at if this wasn't my fifth time participating," Cana said softly.

"Being an S-Class mage isn't the most important thing in the world," Lucy said, "Who cares if you can't do S-Class jobs."

"Its never been about that," Cana said, "Actually that's the absolute last thing on my mind. So I decided that if I fail this time, I'll leave, this time for real."

"Is it really that important!" Lucy demanded frustratingly.

"Yes it is!" Cana snapped right back. Haru then started to cry, not liking all the noise, which got the attention of both women.

"Shh, shh, its alright," Lucy said. Cana took a breath.

"Sorry," she said, "But it is really that important to me. If I don't become S-Class, then I can't present myself to _him_."

"Care to elaborate?" Lucy asked, as Haru eventually stopped crying. With that, Cana opened her mouth, and gave her full explanation. The explanation was one that even Lucy could never had imagined.

"And that's it in a nutshell," Cana said, "This time around, if I fail, I have to leave."

"No!" Lucy declared tearing up, "I can't let that happen! I'll be your partner! I'll make you an S-Class!" Cana stared in surprise.

"But…," she said, "What about Haru?" Lucy took a breath, calming herself down.

"It'll only be a couple days at the most, right?" she asked, "I can leave Haru in the care of the guild for then. Besides, I couldn't let Haru know that his mother let her friend down." Cana just stared at her, before tearing up.

"Lucy," she said softly.

**(one week later)**

Eventually the day for the exams came around. At the time, the guild was assembled at the Hargeon harbor, ready to begin the exams. The teams were as followed: Natsu and Happy, Gray and Loke, Juvia and Lisanna, Cana and Lucy, Freed and Bixlow, Levy and Gajeel, and Mest and Wendy.

Natsu was of course, rather POed when Lucy told him about what she was going to do. But Natsu eventually agreed after Lucy explained herself, and with assurance that Haru would be alright in the care of the guild for the short time that they would be gone.

"Don't worry, sweetie," Lucy said, as she stroked Haru's cheek, as he was being held by Kinana, "We'll be back home before you know it." Natsu then bent down and tussled his son's hair.

"When your dad gets back home, he's going to be S-Class!" he said with a smile.

"Mommy and Daddy love you very much," Lucy said, before kissing her baby's forehead. Haru wasn't crying, but he didn't look particularly happy, as he reached after his departing parents. Lucy briefly glanced back, but Natsu put his hand on her shoulder.

"We'll barely be gone two days," he said, smiling, "Our kid's tough! He'll be alright!" Lucy took a breath, before smiling.

"You're right," she said.

"Be back soon!" Warren called.

"Good luck everyone!" Laki called. Haru remained silent, as he watched the boat float way, as he teared up slightly.

**Note: Yes, I did this, because for the following: Lucy and Natsu couldn't bring Haru with them, since it would be too dangerous, additionally, they figured that at most, they'd be gone a couple days, and they'd be back. I also had them both go, because there are events that happen there that both have to be witness to.**

**Be sure to review.**


	67. Tenrou Island

_**Tenrou Island**_

"Gah! Its so hot!" Lucy whined, as she lay sprawled on her lounge chair in her underwear, sweating a flood, "Isn't it winter?"

"This place has air currents that are always flushing hot winds here," Cana explained.

"Don't let Haru see you like this," Levy said, "It makes you look rather dirty." While everyone was stripped as much down as was decent, Juvia was still bundled up like she was expecting a monsoon.

"Why are you boiling?" Lisanna asked.

"I don't get hot," Juvia calmly explained, before flushing crimson, "But Gray sure is!" Gray was completely butt naked, much to everyone else's chagrin.

"Its so hot!" Gray moaned.

"There's a child present!" Carla snapped angrily. Meanwhile, Natsu was collapsed over the railing, emptying his stomach into the ocean

"Please help, Wendy," he moaned.

"She's Mest's partner," Loke said, "You can't expect her to do that, can you?"

"You know, just for the record," Evergreen said to Elfman, "Once this over, don't expect us to be friends."

"I heard this several times over, now," Elfman said, "its not manly to do stuff like that."

"Ah, I miss my baby!" Lucy moaned, staring at the sky, "Why couldn't we bring Haru?"

"Tenrou Island may sound pretty, but its a dangerous place," Freed said, "You don't want to bring your three month old there."

"But still…," Lucy said, as she looked up into the distance, and saw something in it.

"Is that…"

"Its Tenrou Island!" Lisanna declared happily. Lucy looked up at the island in awe. It was truly a sigh tot behold. It was of a decent size, but what distinguished it was the towering trees that shrouded the entire island. And it looked like there was a landmass on the tree's top. It also seemed to glow with some ethereal light.

"Attention everyone!" Makarov said as he jumped up to the railing, wearing a flower patterned shrit, "This place is of great significance to our guild. It is where our founder, Mavis Vermillion is entombed, and according to legend, fairies used to wander this land. Now listen closely while I explain the details of the exams first part."

"First part?" Wendy asked.

"Its split into multiple levels," Mest explained.

"When we land, there will be eight routes," Makarov said, "One route per group. In three of the routes, you will face one of our S-Class mages."

"We have to fight an S-Class!" Lucy and Wendy cried together.

"Yes, or two teams may stumble across each other, and there'll be a fight between them," Makarov continued, "There is a third option though, you may be able to find a route where nothing happens. If I may, the first part is a combination of power and luck!"

"Luck!" everyone cried.

"That's not fair!" Lisanna declared.

"Sucks to be you then," Makarov said.

"That sounds like we may be able to do pretty well," Lucy said to Cana.

"Really?" she asked, "We only have a 1/8 chance of getting an easy pass."

"Oh, I wouldn't say that," Lucy said, "I'd say we have more like a three in eight chance of making an easy way through."

"What do you mean?"

"Simple," Lucy answered with a grin, before taking a puppy dog face, "Please Natsu, can you let me pass?" Cana watched her, before shrugging.

"I guess that would make sense," she said, "But what's the third?"

"Mirajane," Lucy answered, reaching into her bag, and pulling out a picture of Haru, "Show this to her and she'll swoon right down to the ground."

"Well then, let's hope we run into either Natsu or Mira," Cana said.

"At best, six teams can pass," Levy said, "At worst, only three. I'm almost inclined to think that the Master's actively opposed to us becoming S-Class.

"Don't be such a downer," Gajeel said, patting Levy on the head, "We can get this done!"

"Very well then," Makarov said, before pumping his fist, "Then let the exam begin!"

"Then let's get going Happy!" Natsu declared.

"Aye sir!" Happy said as he picked up his partner, and started flying away. However, he rather promptly ran head first into an invisible wall.

"A rune barrier?" Cana asked.

"Nothing personal!" Freed said as he and Bixlow took their head start.

"This is a free for all, isn't?" Bixlow asked.

"At the rate he's going, Freed's going to cover the whole island in those runes!" Lisanna said, "This ain't fair!"

"Damn it!" Natsu said, head butting it, "I wanted to be first!"

"Can't you rip it open like last time?" Happy asked.

"I'm not wasting my Dragon's Eye on this!" Natsu said, "I'm saving it for Erza or Gildarts!"

"Well this blows," Gajeel said.

"Don't worry your hard head about it!" Levy declared, as she pulled out her pen, "I can just rewrite it!"

"You can!" Lucy said happily.

"For me and Gajeel that is!" Levy answered. With that, the team dove into the water.

"Levy!" Lucy cried.

"Sorry Lu!"

"If you don't get back here and undo this barrier, I'll revoke your godmother status!"

"No you won't!" Levy answered, as she looked back.

"She's got you there," Cana said, "You're terrible at bluffing."

"You iron bastard!" Natsu snapped.

"Bite my shiny metal ass!" Gajeel shouted.

"Damn it!" Elfman said, "That ain't manly!"

"Relax blockhead," Evergreen said, as she pulled out a pen of her own, "I know Freed's runes through and through. I can rewrite them no problem!" Doing exactly that, she and Elfman dove into the see.

"Those bastards!" Natsu said, as he punched at the barrier.

**(five minutes later)**

"Let's go Happy!" Natsu said. With that, Happy flew Natsu towards the island, with the rest of the guild going after them.

"Ice Make: Floor!" Gray said, freezing the ocean, creating a path for him and Loke. Meanwhile, Lisanna turned into a fish, and Juvia melted into the ocean.

"Damn, we're already in last place!" Lucy cried.

"Well, don't forget about Mest and…," Cana looked back, sighed, "Wendy." Wendy and Mest had popped out of existence.

"Well this is off swimmingly!" Cana said.

"The pun is not helping!" Lucy snapped.

**(on the island)**

"Let's go!" Natsu said, as he and Happy landed. They noticed four lanes already closed off.

"Crap, we already lost three routes!" Natsu said.

"Which one should we go down?" Happy asked.

"D!" Natsu declared.

"Why that?"

"Because its the fourth letter in the alphabet, and Erza's got four letters in her name!" Natsu answered.

"What kind of logic is that?" Happy asked. But he didn't argue, as he followed Natsu down the path, as it closed off.

Not far behind them, Cana and Lucy came up.

"We're losing all the paths!" Cana said.

"Don't sweat it," Lucy said, "I wasn't called 'Lucky Lucy' for nothing you know. I practically leave and breath luck! You're going to be an S-Class mage!" Cana was silent, before smiling, and nodding.

"Let's go down C Route!" Lucy said, "'C' for Cana of course." With that, the girls made their way down the path.

**(with Natsu)**

Happy could only stare in shock. Normally Natsu's logic was so woefully poor, that Happy could consistently count on him being wrong. And yet….

"Welcome, Natsu," Erza said, smiling, spinning her sword through her hand. Natsu smirked right back at her.

"I've been looking forward to this," he said, "This time around, you're going to lose!"

**Note: I figured I'd post three chapters this time. Something to kick off the S-Class Arc. Obviously there is going to be a major difference in canon considering what's about to happen with Natsu and Erza. Hopefully you'll all like what is going to happen in the next chapter.**

**Be sure to review on all the chapters.**


	68. Natsu vs Erza

_**Natsu vs Erza**_

Natsu and Erza stared each other down, with the tension in the air so thick it almost made the area seem impassable. They were in a large underground ruin.

"Natsu," Happy said softly, from further back.

"Stand back, Happy," Natsu instructed, as his chest lit up, "I'm going to go all out here."

"Good," Erza said, as she re-quipped into her Flame Empress Armor, "I owe it to you to also go all out myself. Get ready Natsu, I'm going to fight harder than ever before!"

"Likewise!" Natsu said, as the two then sprung at each other. Erza's sword, and his fist collided.

**(with Levy and Gajeel)**

"Of literally all the people to bump into, I'd seriously prefer someone else," Levy said, making a face.

"Save it Shrimp," Gajeel answered, "Focus on who's in front of us!"

"I'd say the same," Bixlow said. For better or for worse for either of the teams, Levy and Gajeel had met up with Freed and Bixlow. Levy supposed that it could be far worse, they could've run into one of the S-Class mages. But of all seven other teams, they were among those Levy seriously did not want to meet.

"You going to do something, or will we have to make the first move?" Freed asked.

"Hell no!" Gajeel answered, "Iron Dragon's Harpoon!" He then fired a spear of iron at Freed, who easily avoided it.

"Baryon Formation, babies!" Bixlow ordered. HIs dolls then assembled, and fired at Gajeel. Acting quickly, Levy pulled out her pen.

"Solid Script: Wall!" she said. A wall appeared in front of Gajeel, blocking the attack. Freed then took the opportunity to launch at Levy again, as the girl managed to avoid the strike.

"Go easy!" she cried.

"You know I can't do that," Freed answered, "Dark Ecriture: Explosion!" He then sent several runes Levy's direction.

"Solid Script: Stone!" The letters solidified into solid iron, which blocked the explosion.

"Solid Script: Lightning!" Blasts of lightning shot at Freed, who created his wings, and avoided the attacks. Meanwhile, Gajeel and Bixlow continued their own duel.

"Iron Dragon's Roar!" Gajeel said, as he let out his breath attack. Bixlow avoided the attack.

"Line Formation!" The dolls came around to fire their attack. Instead of dodging, Gajeel decided to test their strength.

"Iron Dragon Scales!" The attack struck him, and while it caused Gajeel's heels to dig in, it didn't do that much damage.

"Wow, you're pretty good, Iron Man," Bixlow said.

"Not bad yourself Dolly," Gajeel answered with a smirk, "But 'not bad' doesn't fly in situations like these."

"That's good to hear," Bixlow answered, "I'd be disappointed if it were." With that, Team Levy, and Team Freed, continued their fight.

**(with Elfman and Evergreen)**

"For the record, I blame you for this," Evergreen said.

"But you are the one who chose this route!" Elfman protested.

"But you didn't try and protest!"

"Yes I did, you just didn't listen!"

"Oh its so cute!" Mirajane said, "You're just like a married couple!"

"We're not a married couple!" the two yelled together.

**(with Mest and Wendy)**

Wendy had come to the place with a good feeling. That feeling had evaporated when she saw Gray and Loke standing before them.

"Well this is going to go well," she said, with sigh.

"Let's do this, Loke!" Gray said, as he put his hands together.

**(with Juvia and Lisanna)**

"Looks like we got the easy one. We got luck on our side!"

"Juvia doesn't want to compete with her Gray!"

"Maybe you should've taken notes from Edo-Juvia."

**(with Natsu and Erza)**

"Fire Dragon's Roar!" Natsu breathed his fire at Erza, who easily avoided it. The Dragon Slayer then let into the air, and kicked down at her.

"Fire Dragon's Talon!" he said. However, Erza held up her sword, blocking it.

"That's not going to be nearly enough!" she said, "Re-quip!" She then summoned up a water sword, swinging it at Natsu, who managed to actually catch it.

"One sword isn't nearly enough to stop me!" he said.

"Have you ever known me to use just one sword?" Erza said. She then summoned up another several swords, and launched them at Natsu, who leapt back, and either dodged or deflected them.

"Fire Dragon's Blast!" He launched a ball of fire at Erza, who re-quippped into her Adamantine Armor, and blocked it.

"Re-quip, Heaven's Wheel!" She re-quipped into one of her signature armors.

"Dance of Twenty Blades!" Erza declared, as twenty swords rained down on Natsu. The Dragon Slayer's chest lit up, as Natsu breathed his fire. The heat of dragon flame was so intense it melted the swords. Natsu then charged Erza again.

"Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flame!" He then brought down the attack on his friend, who avoided it.

"Re-quip, Morning Star Armor!" Erza said, "Photon Slicer!" She brought the two Morning Star swords together, and pointed them at Natsu, firing the massive blast of light at him.

"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!" He smashed into Erza, who blocked it once again. The red head couldn't help but cringe. She was starting to actually feel these. She then jumped further away.

"You've certainly got better," Erza said, smiling.

"I have the power to beat you now," Natsu declared, "I promised my son that his dad would be S-Class. What kind of man would I be if I broke that promise?" His body then flared up with his fire, gathering around him. Erza recognized that.

"So you're using this spell now," she muttered, narrowing her eyes, thinking_ So I'll have to face the power that beat Jellal, and Laxus._ The fire then concentrated into Natsu's eye, and he opened to reveal the glow.

"Eye of the Fire Dragon!"

"You're using one of your ultimate techniques?" Erza said, smiling, "No Dragon Aspect?"

"I want you to survive the fight," Natsu said, "I'd hate having to tell Haru I crippled one of his godmothers."

"You're sure confident in your power, aren't you?" Erza asked.

"Hell yeah, I am!" Nat's said, with a grin, as he held up his arms, and formed his dragon fire cloak around him. He then took the air, and dove at Erza, breathing fire as he passed over.

"Re-quip! Black Wing Armor!" She managed to avoid the attack, before going up to face Natsu, swinging her sword at him. He caught it with his fire infused hand, before lashing his tail at her.

"Re-quip, Water Sword!" She swung her water weapon at her comrade, dousing much of the fire on him, only for it to flare back up again.

"It'll take much more than that to put out dragon fire!" Natsu declared, as his chest lit up again, but the glow then traveled from his chest to his arms, before going to his hands, causing them to glow as well. He then swung his hands at Erza, who dodged. Natsu's hands instead cut through the rock, as it melted right through. _Fascinating_ Erza thought, narrowing her eyes, before grinning_ Time to take it up a notch_.

"Re-quip, Flight Armor!" The girl charged at Natsu, using the speed her armor granted, as she elbowed him int he stomach. This caused Natsu stumble back, crashing him into the ground.

"Natsu!" Happy cried. Natsu sprung from the rubble.

"Fire Dragon's Wing Beat!" He beat his wings, sending a wave of fire at Erza. The girl re-quipped back into her Flame Empress Armor, as she spun her fire sword, dissipating much of the fire. Natsu then took advantage of this time to dart at her.

"Fire Dragon's Sword Horn!" Natsu slammed into Erza, sending her careening away. Erza wiped the side of her mouth, smirking.

"Impressive," she said, "To amend my earlier statement, you've gotten whole lot better."

"And again, I'm going to beat you!" Natsu said, his fire tail lashing behind him.

"We'll see," Erza said, as she returned to her standard armor, "But I've got to take this up to another level." She then held out her hands, as a glow began to form around them. _Its time to give this weapon a test run_ she thought.

"Re-quip, Ten Commandments!" Erza said, bringing out her newest weapon. In the ensuing week, she had been practicing with this weapon on the island, and was now confident enough to use it readily.

"Isn't that the spear that that weird Edolas Erza used?" Natsu asked.

"It is," Erza answered, "She gave it to me when Edolas was losing all of its magic. Figured I would get more use of it than she would."

"Silfarion!" The Ten Commandments reformed into its speed form, and in an instant, was being Natsu, having slashed him. Natsu let out a cry of pain as he was knocked down to one knee. Erza drove the spear's head into the ground, as she looked at her opponent.

"Don't let a new power get the better of you," she said, "No matter how strong it is, there is always some way to beat it."

"Well that ain't it!" Natsu said as he got up, glaring at her, "I'm still going to beat you!" He then took to the air, folded his wings in, and spun towards where Erza was.

"Fire Dragon's Twister!" A swirling mass of fire descended upon Erza, who held up the spear.

"Rune Save!" The spear head then turned jagged, and green. Erza then cut through the fire, causing it to dissipate away.

"It sealed my magic!" Natsu said.

"This spear has an answer to almost anything you can throw at me," Erza said, holding her spear at the ready.

"Then I'll beat your spear along with you!" Natsu said, as he dove at Erza holding this fire claws at the way.

"Explosion!"

"Gravity Core!"

"Now….," Erza muttered, as she held the Ten Commandments at the ready. Natsu moved to brace himself, but was too slow.

"Dance of One Blade!" Erza struck him with a gravity infused attack, sending him flying him straight through the wall.

"No! Natsu!" Happy called, flying over to him. Erza panted, she was legitimately tired, more than she had ever been in a fight with Natsu.

"Try again next year," she said, as she straightened, "Next time you're victory will…"

"Oh shut up!" Natsu snapped as he rose out of the rubble, much to Erza and Happy's shock, "I'm not going let you beat me this time! I refuse to go down!" He then held up his hands, as his fire swirled around him.

"I will not break my promise to Haru! I will become S-Class!" he declared. The fire then began to take a distinct shape.

"This power…," Erza murmured.

"Dragon Slayer's Secret Art: Writhing Wyrm!" A massive snake-like creature with a dragon's head made out of fire launched itself from his hands, towards the red-head. In awe, Erza could barely move as it came at her. _This power… has he… _Erza then smiled, _No, he's definitely surpassed me_. The creature then clasped its jaws around Erza, and with a massive burst of flames, it consumed her. When the flames faded, it showed Erza still standing. Natsu panted, as he looked at her, ready to continue fighting.

"You… did good…. Natsu," Erza murmured, as she collapsed to the ground. All Happy could do was stare at the sight, of Natsu standing, and Erza collapsed.

"He did it," he said, "He finally beat Erza." Natsu then pumped his fists, and let out a triumphant roar, as his fire flared around him like a tremendous storm.

**(with Lucy and Cana)**

Neither girl could move, as they just stared, shaking in fear.

"Come on, am I really that scary?" Gildarts asked with an embarrassed grin.

**Note: I figured with all the power ups Natsu has been getting, maybe its prudent for him to finally demonstrate his strength, and overcome Erza. Some people may not like that, but I think its appropriate. Besides, its not like he had an easy time. I also know that I sacrificed the scene between him and Gildarts, but I think the upcoming scene with Lucy, Cana and Gildarts will make up for it.**

**Sorry about not giving much attention to the fights with the others, but I figured we'd all rather watch the titular fight.**

**Be sure to review.**


	69. Fear and Facing

_**Fear and Facing**_

All Cana and Lucy could do was stare at the sight of Gildarts standing before them.

"Come on!" Gildarts said with a kind look, "How about we get things started?" The girls remained still, until Lucy finally spoke up.

"Come on Cana!" she said, "Let's kick this guy's ass!"

"There's no point," Cana said, as she stood still, before looking up, "Let's head back."

"Cana," Lucy said softly.

"It would be best to start packing my things as soon as possible," the brown haired girl said sadly.

"Come on!" Lucy said, "You don't really need to be S-Class to do this!"

"It doesn't matter," Cana said, "I…"

"Come on!" Gildarts spoke up, making the girls look at him, "Don't tell me just looking at me makes you give up." Cana averted her eyes, unwilling to look at Gildarts.

"I know I can't defeat you," she said, "I don't think anybody in the guild could. If I try to fight you, I'd just be knocked back down. It would be better if I just give up. I'm keeping Lucy from Haru anyway."

"Oh stow it!" Lucy scolded. Cana looked at her partner in surprise.

"If this is how you behaved in previous attempts, no wonder you aren't S-Class yet!" the blonde said, poking her in the forehead, "You can't just throw in the towel if things suddenly get a little hard! You're part of Fairy Tail, aren't you?" Cana looked at Lucy, before looking away again.

"Lucy's right," Gildarts suddenly said, causing the girls to look at him. He was looking at hard at them, or more specifically…..

"My eyes are up here," Lucy said.

"Sorry!" Gildarts said quickly, with an embarrassed smile, "Old habits die hard." He then cleared his throat, and adopted a more serious expression.

"Cana," he said, "Again, your partner is completely right. Being part of Fairy Tail means that you can't give up if you're facing a challenge. As a matter of fact, it means the exact opposite." Cana clenched her fists.

"But…."

"Erza and Mira have become a tad complacent in their position on top of Fairy Tail," Gildarts said, "But being S-Class was never about defeating another S-Class. Those two may think or sometimes even act otherwise, but it never was. If it were, Natsu would've been S-Class long ago. Being S-Class is about one's ability to always become better."

"Ability to become better?" Cana echoed.

"You can be as strong as you want, but if you can't become stronger, then what's the point of being strong in the first place?" Gildarts said, "That's part of the reasons we take jobs, so as to always train ourselves."

"What does that matter!" Cana snapped, "No matter how strong I get, there's no way I could ever get even close to you!" Gildarts smiled gently.

"You're afraid," he said. Cana recoiled slightly at that.

"I…"

"But I don't think all of its directed at me," Gildarts continued, "You're afraid of something else, something outside of the island. Care to tell me?" Lucy looked at Cana. Would she really tell him? Cana clenched her fists, as she thought. Her eyes began to get wet.

"If… if I don't become S-Class, I… I can't face him," she said, "The one who I've always wanted to meet."

"Oh Cana," Lucy said, smiling at her partner. Gildarts also maintained his smile, as he chuckled lightly.

"Look any guy who thinks people who aren't S-Class aren't worth it, aren't worth it themselves," he said, before looking straight at Cana, "If you want to meet this person, prove that you're willing to do whatever it takes to do it!" He then gestured, an action which spoke for itself.

"Open, Gate of the Scorpion: Scorpio!" Lucy said, deciding to make the first move.

"Wicked!" Scorpio said, "Glad to be back in the fray! Sand Blaster!" He fired a large amount of sand from his tail gun at Gildarts, who held up his hand, causing the sand to dissipate.

"Don't let that slow you down!" Lucy said, "Kick this guy's ass!"

"Wicked!" Scorpio fired more sand at Gildarts, who instead jumped through it, and punched Scorpio into the ground.

"Scorpio!" Lucy called.

"Not wicked," Scorpio said as he returned to the Celestial Spirit World.

"Alright, then try this on for size!" Lucy declared, "Open, Gate of the Golden Ram: Aries!" The sheep spirit popped into existence, squirming in place.

"I'm really sorry," Aries said, "But what do you want me to do?"

"Do you're thing, that's what!"

"I'll really try!" Aries said, "Wool Wave!" She released her clouds of wool at Gildarts, who leapt out of the way. During this, Cana watched.

"Lucy," she whispered. Her partner was going against the strongest mage in the entire guild, without any hesitation, just for her. Cana clenched her fists. _I can't let her do this alone!_ she thought, pulling out her cards.

"Card Magic: Fire!" Cana said, throwing her fire cards at Gildarts. However, he easily deflected the the cards. In that moment, he was focused on Cana, Lucy jumped up with her whip, striking at Gildarts, who deflected it, while Cana threw more cards at him.

As the fight progressed, Lucy noticed something. Gildarts wasn't actually fighting back, he was just deflecting their attacks. Maybe that was for the best, since if he actually did try and fight back, the girls would be defeated without a doubt.

After some time, the girls were both quite tired, while Gildarts didn't have a scratch on him.

"Come on, keep on trooping!" he said, smiling big, "Show me everything you have!"

"You bet!" the partners declared together, before both leaping at Gildarts again.

**(over the ocean)**

Unbeknownst to everyone, Carla and Pantherlily had been trailing the ship, keeping a close eye on it. They were now come up to Tenrou Island.

"Are you sure this is alright?" Pantherlily asked.

"We're just observing the exams," Carla answered, "Nobody every said anything was wrong with that."

"You're worried about Wendy, right?" Pantherlily said with a smile.

"She deliberately disobeyed me!" Carla snapped, "What I am is not worried, its angry! Not to mention she did it with that strange fool!"

_(Flashback)_

"_My name's Mest. I was Mystogan's right hand man, and closest friend."_

"_Mystogan's closest friend?" Wendy asked. Then, Mest suddenly got on his hands and knees, and started gobbling up snow._

"_What're you doing?" Wendy asked, not sure what to make of it._

"_I just want to know what snow tastes like on the ground," Mest answered, as he jumped back to his feet, "I heard a lot about you from Mystogan, I was wondering if you would be willing to be my partner in the exams?"_

"_You can't go from slobbering over the ground to asking favors like that!" Carla snapped._

"_My apologies," Mest said, "I just have a very curious mind."_

"_Severe understatement."_

"_What I'm most curious about now is being an S-Class mage. Please help me."_

"_Well, uh…," Wendy began._

"_No way!" Carla yelled. Mest then glanced over at the river._

"_What do you think a winter river feels like?" he asked._

"_Please don't…," Carla began._

"_I've got to know!" Mest declared, before leaping into the river._

"_By all things holy, I refuse to let you associate yourself with this buffoon!" Carla screamed._

"_He doesn't seem like that bad a guy," Wendy said, "And I do feel like I still owe Msytogan some."_

_(End Flashback)_

"So eventually she decided to help Mest as thanks to Mystogan," Carla said, "And then she just stopped talking to me. How could that girl be so stubborn?"

"Sounds a bit like a pot and kettle situation," Pantherlily said with a smile.

"Wendy can call him a good person as much as she wants," Carla continued, "But its not him I'm worried about, its the whole exam. Something about a premonition I got."

"I'm more worried about this Mest fellow," Pantherlily said, "He claims to be the Prince's friend, but there's something questionable about that."

**(with Wendy and Mest)**

"Gah! I want to know!" Mest declared as he regained consciousness, "What happened?" Wendy knelt down next to him.

"You were knocked unconscious," Wendy said, "Gray and Loke took off while you were out."

"So this year was a failure too?" Mest asked. Wendy began to cry.

"I'm so sorry," she sobbed, "I said I would help you. I tried my hardest, but I couldn't do anything to help." She could've used her Sky Eclipse Dragon Mode, but she didn't think she had enough control over it, and would potentially hurt her friends. Mest looked at her and smile.

"Its not the end of the world," he said, "You should be more worried about yourself."

**(further on)**

"Thanks for your help," Gray said, fist bumping Loke.

"No problem," his partner answered, "Let's hope others got knocked out as well. Though I'm surprised we had such an easy time."

"Seriously, why would anyone hate sour foods that much?" Gray asked.

"I was actually thinking more of Mest," Loke said, "Was he always that soft?"

"Really, I don't remember," Gray said, "Come to think of it, who was he even with last time?"

"Dunno," Loke answered with a shrug. As they left the tunnels and came into the open, Gray got knocked back to the ground.

"My dear Gray!" Juvia cried, as she tackled her boyfriend to the ground, "Why do you have to be here? Now Juvia has to fight you!"

"Calm down," Lisanna said.

"So you guys made it?" Gajeel said, "Tch, you had it easy!"

"I still can't believe we managed to beat Freed and Bixlow," Levy said. They had managed to win somehow, when Freed got briefly distracted when the wind blew Levy's skirt up, allowing Gajeel to sock him in the face with his Iron Dragon Club.

"Come on," Gajeel said, "Don't tell me you had such little faith in me."

"Its just those two were severely strong," Levy said, before looking down, "It was more me I was doubting." Gajeel looked at her, before smirking, and patting her on the head.

"Don't sell yourself short shrimp!" he said.

"Don't pat my head like I'm some kind of pet!" Levy snapped.

"I guess the other's weren't as fortunate," Lisanna said.

"Natsu probably went up against the S-Class mages," Gray said, "Or Lucy. All she would need to do was bat her eyelashes, and he'd be putty in her hands. He's such a wimp."

"Screw you Snowman!" Natsu said as he stumbled up with Happy on his heels.

"Natsu!" everyone cried out in surprise.

"How did you…," Juvia began.

"I finally beat up Erza!" Natsu said proudly. Everyone was silent as they stared at Natsu in surprise, finding it hard to believe.

"Well, its not like he could find it in him to hurt Lucy," Loke said, "Then he had to have fought one of the S-Class, and its not like he could have ever beat Gildarts, no one could. So that means…."

"EHHH!"

"Aye!" Happy said, "Erza lost to Natsu!"

"Way to go, Natsu!" Lisanna said.

"Once I used my Dragon's Eye, she didn't stand a chance," Natsu said proudly, "There's no way I'm going to lose these exams!" As Natsu boasted about his accomplishment of finally beating his rival, Levy looked around.

"I wonder what happened to Lu and Cana," she said, "Did anyone fight them?" After hearing "no" resonate around, Levy made a nervous face.

"I guess that means they found an S-Class mage," Juvia said.

"What about Elfman and Evergreen?" Lisanna asked.

"Those two could take 'em," Natsu said.

"Hey!" Lisanna protested, not inclined to let her brother be subtly mocked like that.

"Chill sis." They looked over, and saw Elfman approaching, with Evergreen coming over. Evergreen was supporting him.

"What the?" several people asked together.

"You beat Mira?" Happy asked.

"More like we outsmarted her," Evergreen said, "Never underestimate us!"

"So everyone's here, right?" Makarov said as he trotted up to everyone, "So Levy and Gajeel beat Freed and Bixlow, Gray and Loke beat Mest and Wendy, Natsu and Happy beat Erza…."

"I still can't believe that," Gray said.

"….Elfman and Evergreen beat Mirajane, which I find baffling…"

"That's not manly!"

"… and lastly, Juvia and Lisanna got the quiet route. Pretty impressive, quite a few people made it. So now…"

"Wait!" Everyone turned to see Lucy and Cana running up.

"Lucy!" Natsu said happily

"Wait! You beat Gildarts!" Makarov cried.

"EHHH!" This "eh" was even louder then the one they made for Natsu beating Erza.

"Well…," Lucy said.

_(Flashback)_

_The girls panted, both of them exhausted, while Gildarts was still standing tall and confident._

"_I'm running out of ideas," Lucy said, "You got any?"_

"'_Fraid not," Cana answered, "I actually was hoping you did."_

"_When in doubt, improvise," Gildarts said, smiling, "Surely you must have some trick up your sleeve." Lucy thought, before an idea popped into her head. Not a very pleasant one, but an idea nonetheless._

"_Cana, I just got an idea," she said, "You're not going to like it though."_

"_I'd take anything at this point." The girls then huddled up as they discussed the plan. When they broke up, Cana had an unhappy face._

"_Here goes nothing," she said. With that, both girls took sexy poses._

"_Hey, Mr. Gildarts," Lucy said softly, "Maybe just for little old me?"_

"_Or for me, Daddy boy," Cana said, in an equally seductive tone. Gildarts turned the color of Natsu's fire, and just as warm._

"_Wait… I….," he stuttered._

"_And for extra measure," Lucy said, pulling out a key, "Open, Gate of the Maiden: Virgo!" _

"_Greetings, Princess," Virgo said, in a maid-theme bikini, "Do you have a punishment?"_

"_A bikini maid?!" Gildarts cried, "This is too much!" Then, all of a sudden, he collapsed, overwhelmed by the sexy._

"_I'm going to get you for this, Lucy," Cana said._

_(End Flashback)_

"We used or feminine wiles!" Lucy said.

"Well it doesn't matter!" Natsu declared, pointing at her and her partner, "Don't think I'm going easy on you just because we're together!"

"Likewise, Lover Boy!" Lucy declared, "I'm making Cana S-Class!"

**(with Wendy and Mest)**

Wendy continued to sniffle and cry, sitting next to Mest.

"You don't need to feel that way," Mest said, "I told you its not the end of the world." Wendy still sniffled.

"Say, tell me why this island considered Fairy Tail's sacred ground?" Mest asked.

"Well, because its where our first master, Mavis Vermillion is buried," Wendy said.

"True," Mest said, "But did you know that this island is also cloaked in a magic barrier? No one but a Fairy Tail member can find it, and those who aren't can only find this place by being guided by a member. And not just because of Mavis' grave. Supposedly, there's a big Fairy Tail secret here as well."

"Really?" Wendy answered, looking interested.

"We don't really have to leave at any particular time," Mest said, "So how about we go look around?"

"Sounds fun!" Wendy said.

**(with Carla and Pantherlily)**

"You said that Mest told you that he was the Prince's best friend and right hand man," Pantherlily said. He and his fellow Exceed were on the beach, having just landed.

"What about it?" Carla asked.

"That's impossible," Pantherlily said, "The Prince avoided contact with everyone here. So I have doubts that there would be anyone who'd be his 'right hand man', let alone his best friend. This guy Mest is very likely not who he says he is. He may not even really be a guild mate."

**(with Wendy and Mest)**

"Wow!" Wendy said, going up over a cliff and looking out, "This place is beautiful."

"It sure is, Ms. Marvel," Mest said, with an ominous grin.

**Note: I hoped that maybe I could give a good nice scene between Gildarts and Team Cana. I hope you liked it. Not much else to really say about this chapter.**

**Be warned, next chapter will probably follow canon rather closely, mostly out of necessity. I hate having to do this, but I have to.**

**Be sure to review.**


	70. The Black Mage

_**The Black Mage**_

Having completed the first stage of the exam, Makarov informed them of the next stage. They were to find Mavis Vermillion's grave, where the Master would be waiting. In words, it sounded simple enough. In practice, well….

"What it is up with this island?" Lucy cried, as she and Cana were being chased by a giant lizard.

"Question later, run now!" Cana answered.

"I chose this over spending time with my son!" Lucy moaned, "What's wrong with me!"

Over the island, the teams were all similar issues with the monsters of the island. There was one exception though…

**(with Natsu and Happy)**

"Get out of my way!" Natsu bellowed, as he breathed a curtain fire at a charging monster.

"That's what you get," Happy said with a shrug. Natsu panted as he wiped the side of his mouth.

"Damn it," he said, "That fight with Erza took a lot out of me."

"Come on Natsu, let's get going!" Happy called.

"But how are we supposed to find the grave if we don't have any hint of where to go?" Natsu asked.

"Maybe we're supposed to guess?" Happy said.

"Well, guessing is my thing," Natsu said with a grin, "We got an island on top of a tree, right?"

"Aye."

"Then let's head there!" Natsu declared, "We'll get there before anyone else with your wings!"

"Aye sir!" Happy said excitedly, as he picked up Natsu, and started flying up.

**(at base camp)**

"Wait a minute!" Erza said, "Elfman and Evergreen are actually getting married?" She and Mirajane were currently resting at the guild's basecamp, where they were surprised to find that they are both alone.

"That's what they said," Mirajane answered with an embarrassed smile, "And after that they socked me straight in the face. It was probably all just a big ploy to throw me off guard."

"Well it clearly worked," Erza said, "This was a pretty good year for the candidates, only two of eight teams were knocked out, and all three of the S-Class mages were defeated."

"Though it seems you were the only one who was actually overpowered and beaten," Mirajane said. Erza took a breath as she gave her own embarrassed smile.

"You're going to hold this over my head for a long time, aren't you?" she asked, "But yeah, at long last, Natsu's defeated me. It was sure to happen, I just wasn't sure when it would. Though I'm more curious about how Gildarts lost."

"Your guess is as good as mine," Mirajane said, "Didn't he go back to the guild?"

"Yeah, so did Freed and Bixlow. Its a pity, they should've stayed to watch the exams finish. Where're Mest and Wendy though?"

"Dunno," Mirajane answered, "Come to think of it, can you remind me when Mest joined?"

"Of course," Erza answered, opening her mouth to answer, only to pause, "Actually… I'm not sure. I don't remember myself." She then stood up from her seat.

"Stay here, I'll go look for her. I mean, she can't be far."

**(with Evergreen and Elfman)**

"Its not manly to run away from animals!" Elfman yelled.

"Do you ever shut up!" Evergreen yelled right back. They were currently being chased by something that looked like a combination of a pig and a crocodile. Eventually, as they kept running, Evergreen tripped, knocking over Elfman, sending them tumbling down a hill, away from the monster. When Evergreen regained her senses, she noticed she was lying on top of Elfman

"Get off me!" she snapped, leaping away, "That was just a trick for Mira!"

"But weren't you on me?" Elfman asked. Naturally, Evergreen ignored him.

"You're lucky I came up with that, there was no way we could've actually beaten Mira without it!" she said.

"I'm a real man! And a real man doesn't think of such cowardly plans!" Evergreen was going to keep protesting, but then the two heard rustling. They turned to see a young man, maybe Natsu's age, emerging from the foliage.

"Someone else is here," the man said, "I didn't think that…."

"Who the hell are you?" Elfman demanded.

"This is Fairy Tail territory!" Evergreen said.

"Fairy Tail?" the man echoed, "Ah yes, a magic guild. I did come here to…." He trailed off slightly.

"Answer the damn question!" Elfman said has he began to approach.

"No!" the man said, stepping back, "Stay as far away as possible! I'll leave!"

"This guy is strange," Evergreen said.

"Should we alert the others?" Elfman asked. Then they noticed the man beginning to convulse.

"No!" he said, "Death is here!" A sudden black wave emerged from his body, spreading out before him. Anything the wave touched, wilted away. And just as it was coming upon the partners, the two were tackled to the ground, causing the wave to miss them.

"Natsu!" Evergreen said, looking up. The man froze, as he stared at Natsu, as he leapt to his feet.

"Who are you?!" Natsu demanded. But then tears begin to drip down the man's face as he stared at the pink haired Dragon Slayer.

"Natsu," the man said softly, which surprised the others.

"Do you know this guy?" Elfman asked.

"Never seen him in my life," Natsu answered.

"Natsu!" Happy called, as he dove down, "Why'd you jump down!"

"He's why," Natsu said, gesturing the man. Everyone then looked around, and noticed that the entire area had been left completely barren.

"What happened here!" Happy cried.

"Ever plant here has completely withered away," Evergreen said.

"Did he do this?" Elfman asked.

"Hey you bastard!" Natsu called, "I don't know or care who you are, but this is our territory! Get the hell out!" The man stared at the ground, in silence.

"Look buddy!" Natsu said, "I've got better things to do than deal with you! I've got a son waiting for me back at home!" The man then suddenly looked up, as he smiled slightly.

"So you have a family at long last, Natsu." That set the Dragon Slayer off as he lunged at the man, and socked him in the face. Anyone else would've been seriously hurt by one of Natsu's fists, but the man easily returned to his feet.

"Who the fuck are you!" Natsu demanded, "Tell me!" The man looked up, starting to cry slightly. _So you're still incapable of challenging me?_ he thought_ Such a shame._

"Why's he crying!" Happy asked.

"This guy's getting creepier by the minute," Evergreen said. Suddenly the man began to shake slightly again. That didn't go unnoticed by Natsu.

"Everyone, run!" he yelled.

"What?"

"Listen to him!" the man answered desperately. Suddenly, the same black wave emerged from his body again, casting out.

"Natsu!" Happy cried, as Elfman carrie him away. When it emerged, more of the foliage was dead, but Natsu was still standing.

"Natsu!" Happy called in relief as he flew over.

"Don't worry, I'm okay!" Natsu answered, "But I don't know where he went." Then he noticed Happy staring.

"What?"

"Your scarf…." Natsu glanced down at it, and noticed it was pitch black.

"That son of a…," Natsu said, "He ruined my scarf! I'm going to cook him well done!"

**(somewhere else)**

"How long will I be rejected by this world?" the man said, leaning on a tree, as he stared at the sky, "Ankseram be merciful." He then chuckled slightly.

"Merciful," he said, "What an idea?"

**(in the sky)**

Moving the clouds, was a massive magical airship, with the symbol of a stylized heart. It was the symbol of the dark guild, Grimoire Heart.

"So he's there on the island?" a woman with dark hair mused, spinning an orb on her finger, "But he's clearly not himself."

"At long last," a figure in the shadows said.

"Master Hades," the woman said.

"Tell me about him again, Ultear," the figure said, smiling madly. The woman, Ultear also smiled.

"The man who shrouded the world in darkness, made the very aspect of magic bend to his will, created countless demons," Ultear said, "The mightiest mage to have ever lived…."

**(on the island)**

"…_. Zeref, the Black Mage."_

The man stared into the distance. He was the most feared man to have ever lived, no one had ever inspired so much dread from light mages, and so much admiration from dark mages. Zeref.

"Something is coming," he mused, as he covered his face, tears flowing again, "Why must dread always pursue me!"

**(on the airship)**

"Set the course for Tenrou Island," Hades said, rising from his throne. Assembled around him were six people, who gave out a magical presence so immense, it was suffocating.

"Its time for this new world to be born," he said, spreading this arms, "Let the world of Zeref come to fruition!"

**Note: I'm really sorry this was so close to canon, but I really had no idea how to make this different from canon. The following events will be considerably different, or at least they hopefully will be.**

**Be sure to review.**


	71. Grimoire Heart

_**Grimoire Heart**_

"Damn that guy," Natsu said, grabbing at his scarf, "He completely ruined the scarf Igneel gave me."

"I'm sorry," Happy said softly.

"It completely clashes with everything I'm wearing!" Natsu said angrily. That caught the group off guard.

"Since when did you care about fashion?" Evergreen asked.

"I always did!" Natsu answered, "Why do you think I wear black? Because it looks good next to the scarf."

"I thought your favorite color was red," Elfman said.

"It is," Natsu answered, "But I'm not going to wear red! Its the same color as my fire!" He then grabbed his vest, and turned it inside out, showing the white inside.

"There're we go!" he declared.

"Of all the people to concern themselves about that, Natsu's the last," Evergreen said.

"Wait!" Happy called, "What about the exam?"

"With a guy like that lurking about, we shouldn't focus on the exam," Evergreen answered.

"The hell we shouldn't focus!" Natsu yelled, "I finally beat Erza! I'm not going to go through it all over again after that!"

"A man can't stop a challenge halfway through!" Elfman said, "I've got to hold up to my sister's level!" The two glowered at each other.

"That guy was kind of creepy, but he didn't seem like a bad guy," Happy said.

"Come on Happy!" Natsu said as he started running, "We got an exam to win!"

"Let's go Evergreen!" Elfman said.

"Shut up!"

**(in the sky)**

"We've waited so long for this," Hades said, as he tapped his fingers on his throne, "Did so much to acquire the keys. And now Zeref is within our grasp."

"Don't forget about Fairy Tail," Ultear said, "They are on the island, which is their home turf. Fairy Tail did, after all, defeat the Oracion Seis, and some of their most powerful members are on this island."

"So what does that matter?" a guy with wild blonde hair, and red, concentric eyes said, as his body swirled up with black flames, "They'll be reduced to ashes!"

"Don't underestimate any of them, Zancrow," a tall guy who could only be described as a goat man said, "We've been preparing for this day, and all that preparation was important." He was Caprico of Grimoire Heart.

"Indeed," a guy with glasses, and lavender hair that was swept up, "Our guild will be triumphant, as Fairy Tail crumbles before us.".

"I… I…," a fat guy with messy black hair, and white skin, "IcompletelyagreeRustyrose!"

"Don't talk so much, Kain!" Zancrow yelled.

"He said 'I completely agree Rustyrose'," a small girl with short pink hair said.

"Ready for this, Meredy? Ultear asked, smiling at the girl.

"Indeed," the girl, Meredy, said, "This will go well."

"Impressive, is it not?" Hades said as he rose from his throne, "All the darkness that's collected here. Demons and fairies will clash, and only one will still be standing when its done. Let's find out which one."

**(on the island)**

"I really wish I could like this place, but I can't," Lucy griped, sitting down with a gasp, her and Cana having finally evaded the monsters.

"You've got any idea where to go?" Cana asked.

"Not a one," Lucy said, sighing, "I wish Haru were here."

"Why?"

"Because having my son near me helps me concentrate," Lucy said, before looking longingly into space, "I wish I could give him a nice big hug."

"That's real sweet sister," Cana said, "But don't forget why we're here."

"Well, how can we find a grave with absolutely no hint?" Lucy said.

"There's got to be one," Cana said, "The Master can be an ass sometimes, but he's not so big an ass as to completely deny us any hint. There's got to be something."

"Maybe the point here is brainpower," Lucy said, "Like there's something hidden in the words."

"Care to elaborate?"

"Well, 'grave' can mean a location, but it can also mean 'death'," the blonde explained.

"Maybe you've got some 'Lucy phrase' for me?" Cana asked.

"'Lucy phrase'?"

You know like 'I'll turn into a shooting star when I die'?"

"Do I really talk like that?" Lucy asked with a sweat drop.

"When you're with Haru you do," Cana answered, "Actually some your phrases are even cornier."

"Well Haru is….," Lucy paused, before her eyes lit up, "That's it! I know where the grave is!" With that, she ran off.

"Wait up!" Cana said as she followed. During all this, Gray and Loke were hiding in the bushes,

"That's Lucy for you," Loke said, "Always the thinker."

"We were luck we found them," Gray said, "Natsu will probably kick our asses for spying on him, but its every man for himself! Let's go!" The two then ran off after the girls.

**(somewhere else on the island)**

Levy was close to banging her head on a rock, with Gajeel.

"Where the hell's the grave!" Gajeel snapped, "Just find a damn path!"

"You trying to destroy my hearing, or something?" Levy asked.

"I'm just so angry!" Gajeel said, "I want to punch Salamander in his smug face!"

"I'm still here, you know," Levy said, "I'm the one whose trying to be S-Class, after all! All you care about is picking fights!" Gajeel looked at her before smirking.

"What, you want some attention, shrimp?" he asked, patting her head smugly, "Then let's fight! You and me!" Levy tightened her fists.

"Stupid Gajeel!" she snapped, as she ran away

"Hey!" the Iron Dragon Slayer yelled, "Where're you going!"

"Away from you!" Levy answered, as she kept running into the woods, ignoring Gajeel's calls.

As Levy ran, she teared up slightly. _Just when I thought he was becoming a good guy, he just who's how much of a selfish asshole he is!_ she thought_, I hate him so much!_ As she ran, she eventually stopped and sat down, curling up.

"Why's he…," she muttered, still softly crying. Then she heard the bushes rustling slightly.

"Gajeel?" she asked, "If you're here to…." However, right then, a goat man and a rooster man erupted out of the bushes. The goat man drew his sword, and swung it, which Levy barely managed to avoid, though it cut her hair band clear in two.

"Wait!" Levy said, "Who…" However, before she could finish, she was grabbed, and pinned by the rooster man.

"Die with honor!" the goat man declared, as he brought his sword down. Levy cried out as the sword came down at her. However, a sudden shadow jumped down, and blocked the sword. It turned out to be Gajeel.

"You idiot," Gajeel said, "Finding you's a pain, so stay at with me." Levy looked up, before smiling gentle.

"Thank you," she said.

"So who are these guys?" Gajeel asked, as Levy jumped to her feet. She then noticed the symbols they carried.

"They're from Grimoire Heart," she said.

"So did the master set up an extra challenge?" Gajeel asked.

"Of course not," Levy said, "Grimoire Heart is part of the Balam Alliance. They must have somehow found their way in."

"Oh well, let's take advantage of this," Gajeel said, "If we can beat these guys, you'll definitely become S-Class."

"Don't get reckless," Levy said, "These guys are tough. We shouldn't go charging into battle."

"You legal guilds are so stuck in your ways," the goat man, who was named Yomazu, said, "All you can think about is your rules."

"*b'gawk* Rules don't exist in real battle!" the rooster man, who was named Kawazu, said.

"What're you guys doing here?" Levy demanded. Yomazu smirked.

"To kill us some fairies!" he answered as he held up his sword, "Solid Script: Sound!" An Eastern symbol for "sound" suddenly flashed into existence, as the area was lit up with a horrible noise. Both Fairy Tail mages cried out as they covered their ears.

"Magic made from words?" Gajeel said, "Can't you use that magic?"

"That's a variant from the East!" Levy answered. As the two struggled against the scream, Kawazu then charged the group, which was noticed by Levy.

"Gajeel!" she called. But her partner couldn't hear her over the scream. As Kawazu leapt at them, Levy managed to pull Gajeel out of the way, but Kawazu then turned, and opened his beak.

"Egg Buster!" Eggs rained down over them, where they hatched, and the yolks turned to fists, pummeling the two. During this, Yomazu leapt at them again, bringing down his sword, which Gajeel rolled out of the way of. As he tried to avoid the attacks, Levy thought quickly, and pulled out her pen.

"Solid Script: Silence!" she said. The letters "silence" appeared, blocking the sound symbol, as it cancelled out the noise.

"My magic!" Yomazu shouted.

"Take this you bastard!" Gajeel said, as he thrust his Iron Dragon's club at him, knocking the goat man away.

"* b'gawk* Take this!" Kawazu said as he sprayed more of his eggs.

"Solid Script: Fire!" Levy said, as she actively cooked the eggs. Meanwhile, Yomazu swung his sword.

"Solid Script: Cut!" The symbol for "cut" appeared, slicing through literally everything around him. Gajeel held up his arms to block, but the sword cut through his Iron Dragon Scales.

"Egg Buster!" Kwanzaa said, as he pummeled Levy again, as she was unable to block all of them. During this, Yomazu continued to cut through Gajeel again and again, as he left a large gash over his side.

"Gajeel," Levy said weakly, looking up.

"Dark Sword: Naru-Kami!" Yams said, as he cut straight through Gajeel.

"No!" Levy cried, as her partner collapsed to the ground. She then crawled towards him.

"This was almost disappointing," Yomazu said, "If everyone else is at that level, we won't even need everyone else."

"Wait?" Gajeel rasped out, "What do you *wheeze* 'everyone else'?"

"* b'gawk* Looks like he's still alive," Kawazu said, "Well that's easy to fix."

"I mean the rest of the guild, that's what," Yomazu answered, much to Gajeel's shock, "Once the rest of Grimoire Heart arrives, it's going to turn this island to dust."

"The entire dark guild is coming?" Levy whimpered.

"Run, Levy," Gajeel said, "You need to warn the others."

"I can't leave you!" Levy said.

"Just go!" Gajeel yelled, "I'll deal with these guys!"

"No way!" Levy snapped, surprising her partner, "What kind of Fairy Tail mage would I be if I left my partner in the middle of the fight!" She then heaved Gajeel up slightly.

"You and I are in this together," she said, "Now are you going to deal with it, or are you going to whine?"

"Let's finish this," Yomazu said, "The more fairies we execute, the better we'll looking to the Master." He then drew his sword.

"* b'gawk*!"

"Let's show them what happens when they mess with Fairy Tail!" Levy said, "Solid Script: Iron!" A big block of iron landed in front of Gajeel.

"Can't fight on an empty stomach, right?" Levy asked with a wink. Gajeel looked at her and smiled.

"You'd make one heck of a wife," he said.

"Don't get any ideas smart guy." As Gajeel started chomping on the iron, there was something about it he began to notice. Levy had infused an amount of her own magic in the iron, which began to merge with Gajeel's. There was then a sudden of explosion of magic around Gajeel, which blew Levy away.

"What's this!" Yomazu demanded. Levy looked up, she recognized this from Edolas. It was very similar to what happened with Natsu. The magic power then concentrated into Gajeel's eye.

_(Flashback)_

"_You're going to pay for messing with Fairy Tail!" Natsu yelled_

_(End Flashback)_

Gajeel rose to his feet slowly.

"You want to mess with Fairy Tail, then you're going to pay," he said. He then opened his eyes. His left eye had turned the color of steel. It had a diamond shaped iris, with a circle in the center.

"Eye of the Iron Dragon!"

**Note: I seriously wanted to give Gajeel this kind of power up for this time. I figured it was an appropriate time to reveal it. The idea of Dragon's Eye is that Dragon Slayers have the ability to use it, but it needs to be spurred from the outside, generally by consuming an outside source.**

**Let's see what Gajeel can do with this power.**

**Be sure to review.**


	72. Eye of Iron Dragon

_**Eye of the Iron Dragon**_

Erza heard what sounded like a tremendous roar coming from the distance, but it didn't sound like any of the roars that any of the creatures on the island produced. If anything, it sounded eerily similar to Natsu's roar. With that in mind, she started running in that direction.

**(with Natsu and Happy)**

Natsu suddenly sensed a massive power coming from somewhere on the island, as he looked around.

"What is it?" Happy asked.

"Dragon Magic," was all Natsu said. Happy noticed he didn't say "Dragon Slayer Magic", he said "Dragon Magic".

**(with Wendy)**

Wendy looked up from the flowers she was picking, also sensing the spur of dragon magic. It was very similar to the magic that her brother utilized.

**(with Gajeel and Levy)**

The power surged around Gajeel, as his newly achieved Dragon's Eye glowed bright. Levy could only stare. _This is just like the power that Natsu can use,_ she thought. Yomazu and Kawazu stared, as they both began to shake slightly, feeling the power that was radiating off their opponent.

"So what if he has this power!" Kawazu said, "We'll still get him!" He then opened his mouth, and pointed his head upwards, as he started spitting out eggs, which rained down on Gajeel, before exploding. The Dragon Slayer formed his Iron Dragon Scales around him, blocking all the eggs, not even leaving a scratch.

"That it?" Gajeel asked, looking up.

"Far from it!" Yomazu answered, as he jumped forward, "Solid Script: Cut!" The symbol flared up, and cut at him. However, the blow deflected off the scales.

"What is this!" Yomazu demanded as he slashed at Gajeel, who caught it.

"You've already lost," Gajeel said, looking at the goat man. From his arm, sprouted several fists made out of iron. The fists punched Yomazu away. The fists then reshaped themselves into what looked like open dragon mouths. The mouths grabbed onto Yomazu, and slammed him into the ground. During all this, Levy watched in a state of awe.

"Is this the true power of a Dragon Slayer?" she muttered.

"Don't forget about me!" Kawazu declared, as he leapt at Gajeel. He spat more of his eggs at Gajeel, but again, they easily deflected off Gajeel's scales. From Gajeel's back, shot several iron poles, which knocked Kawazu in the gut. The iron poles then came together, and formed a dragon head, which opened its mouth, and released a massive storm of dragon iron, which sent the rooster man flying.

"And who says rooster's can't fly?" Gajeel sneered. Yomazu then leapt at him, bring down his sword. Gajeel, however, held up his arm, as the sword broke off when it collided. Yomazu barely had time to even be surprised, as Gajeel's leg came up, and kicked the goat away. The Iron Dragon Slayer then opened his hands, as a series of spinning iron stars appeared in them.

"Iron Dragon's Demon Shuriken!" He then sent the stars flying at Yomazu slashing him up. Kawazu then made the mistake to charge him again. Gajeel then turned.

"Iron Dragon's Mace!" His hand turned into an iron mace, striking him away. Looking over the Grimoire Heart members, who refused to stay down, he took a breath. From his back, then sprouted a series of iron shafts, which merged and shaped themselves into a pair of wings. With a flap, Gajeel was in the air.

"Forget dragon fire," he said, "Let's see what dragon iron can do." He then held up both of his arms, both of them forming into massive jagged swords.

"Iron Dragon's Demon Swords!" Gajeel then swung them at his respective opponents, who only just managed to get out of the way. The swords cut through dozens of trees in the process. Massive spears then shot out of swords, twisting after the Grimoire Heart members. The spears sent them all sprawling to the ground.

"You bastard!" Yomazu said, weakly looking up.

"We aren't down yet!" Kawazu said. The two tried to rise up to their feet, but then they saw the massive form looming over them. Broad metallic wings, a rectangular head with massive teeth, and a spiked body, glaring down on them.

"You're seriously going to regret screwing with Fairy Tail," Gajeel said. He then inhaled.

_(Flashback)_

_As he munched on some scrap, Gajeel pondered his options. Now that Phantom Lord was gone, he was out of a job. Somehow the Council came to mind._

"_Yeah," he muttered, "Over my dead body."_

"_Don't knock anything until you've tried it!" Gajeel glanced down, and saw a small mustached man standing beneath him._

"_Yo!" _

"_Master Makarov!" Gajeel said in surprise, "What're you doing here!"_

"_Juvia recently joined Fairy Tail," Makarov answered, much to Gajeel's surprise, "Believe it or not, she's kind of worried about you."_

"_What would she care?"_

"_She is your friend after all," Makarov answered, "Why don't you come and join her?"_

"_What!" Gajeel snapped, "You seriously think I would like that?"_

"_I think you don't like being alone," Makarov answered, "Point me to a person who truly does." Gajeel was silent at that._

"_But I…."_

"_Destroyed the guild, just wood and rock," Makarov said._

"_But your members…."_

"_Now that I cannot forgive," Makarov said. Gajeel could barely move, as he felt an aura of pure rage radiating off Makarov._

"_But I can't forgive letting someone fall into darkness either," the Fairy Tail master explained, before offering a hand, "Let's not think about redemption now. Let's just think about moving on. But that's all up to you."_

_(End Flashback)_

_I will not let anyone hurt Fairy Tail!_ Gajeel thought, before opening his mouth.

"Dragon Slayer's Secret Art: Iron Dragon's Raging Roar!" He then released his Dragon's Roar. The shards of iron, however, came together, and formed a series of dragon heads. The heads then crashed into the ground and the Grimoire duo. When the dust faded, it showed both of them on the ground, completely defeated.

Gajeel floated down to the ground. He took a breath as his Dragon's Eye faded away. Levy then emerged from her hiding space.

"That was… amazing," she said. Gajeel panted as he looked at her.

"Yeah well, thanks," he said, wiping the side of his mouth, "That iron you gave me was what unlocked it." He then smirked.

"Now I can take on Salamander!"

"Don't forget he can also turn into a half-dragon," Levy said with a sigh.

"Yeah! Well!" Gajeel said, stumbling over his words slightly, "I can do that too!" Levy just giggled.

"Levy! Gajeel!" The two looked in the direction of the voice, and saw Erza running in their direction.

"Erza!" Levy said happily. The scarlet haired mage skidded to a halt as she saw their enemies.

"What the hell's all this?" she demanded.

"We were walking around when they suddenly ambushed us," Levy explained, "They said they're from Grimoire Heart!"

"Grimoire Heart!" Erza said, "What're you…"

"It doesn't matter," Yomazu suddenly said with a snicker, making everyone look at him. Gajeel held up his hand, as it turned into an iron claw, which extended over and picked up the goat man.

"Alright you son of a bitch," he growled, "You're going to tell us what's going on. Do it, and I might leave you in two pieces." Yomazu just cackled somewhat.

"When the Seven King of Purgatory come, you'll be more than just finished, you won't even exist," he said.

"The Seven Kin?" Levy asked.

"I've heard of them," Erza said, "It seems a march larger problem has dropped on us." She then held out her hand, as a flare materialized in it. Without missing a beat, she fired it into the air, sending a red spot into the sky. Every guild member looked up to see it.

**(with Lucy and Cana)**

"Of all the times for this to happen…," Cana said, clenching her fists, "After we've come so far…."

"Cana," Lucy said, "If this is such a big problem then the Master…."

"Screw him!" Cana declared, "I ain't stopping!"

"Chill," Gray said as he emerged from the bushes with Loke.

"Was that an attempt at a pun?" Loke asked.

"What're you doing here?" Lucy demanded.

"It was a coincidence," Gray said, "Besides, it ain't important at this point."

"There's an emergency meeting spot," Loke said, "Back in the camp."

"Being chased by monsters, having to fight S-Class mages, and now some weird emergency is happening," Lucy moaned, "Between this and snuggling with my baby? What was I thinking?"

**(with Erza, Gajeel, and Levy)**

"Let's head back to the camp!" Levy said to Gajeel.

"You kidding?" Gajeel said, "I've got more fight in me than you!"

"Are you at full strength?" Erza asked.

"I….," Gajeel began.

"Not by a long-shot," Levy interrupted, and upon seeing her partner's glower said, "Don't give me that, idiot. You took more of a beating than you might think." Erza re-quipped into her armor.

"If that's the case, then you two head back to camp," she said, "I'm going to go find Mest and Wendy. If what I think is going to happen, happens, we need to all be together to face it." She then looked towards Yomazu.

"You can either tell me what's going to happen, or I'm going to beat the information out of you," Erza said, "Either way I'm getting it."

"Screw you, red!" Yomazu answered.

**(beat)**

"We're here to find the Black Mage, Zeref," Yomazu answered, a lump on his head. The air turned so still it might as well have been made of stone.

"That's… that's impossible!" Juvia said, "He existed over a thousand years ago!"

"Brush up on your history, kid," Yomazu said, "It was only 400 years."

"You've got to be lying!" Erza yelled, "There's no way Zeref can be here!"

"I wouldn't lie about this," Yomazu answered, "Zeref has been living on this island in a state of slumber for the past 400 years. Once he's awakened, he'll rule the world, with us as his lieutenants!"

"This is Fairy Tail's sacred ground!" Erza said, "Its under magical protection!"

"Something tells me that the army won't have much of a problem with it, let alone the Seven Kin. We've got Ultear, the Time Mistress as the leader, but then there's Rustyrose, my boss, Caprico, Kain Hikaru, Zancrow, and Meredy coming."

"You said seven," Erza said, "And yet listed only six."

"Well… one of them is already here," Yomazu said.

"What!"

**(with Wendy)**

"Do you remember what that flare is for?" Wendy asked.

"Uh…," Mest said, before starting to chomp on a rock, "I have to know!"

"Don't tell me you forgot," Wendy said. As Mest held up his face, he pondered what was going on. _What's going on now?_ he asked_ What's he going to do, now?_

"Wendy!" The Sky Dragon Slayer looked up, and saw Carla and Pantherlily swooping down towards them.

"Get away from him!" Carla cried.

"What're you guys doing here?" Wendy asked.

"Identify yourself!" Carla demanded to Mest.

"My name's Mest Grader," Mest answered, "I was Mystogan's…." He was silenced as his collar was picked up by Pantherlily.

"The Prince never interacted with anyone in this world," the exceed said, "It wasn't a bad idea to use him as a cover, but I imagine you hadn't counted on this. Now again, who are you?"

"What's going on!" Wendy asked.

"Be silent," Carla hissed.

"I don't know…," Mest began.

"You use a magic that can manipulate memories," Pantherlily said, "That's how you managed to get into the guild, and the exams. Now I'll ask one last time. Who are you? And if you dodge the question again, I'll start breaking limbs."

"Pantherlily, wait!" Wendy said, "We need to figure things out!"

"Precisely," Mest said, with that, he flashed out of Pantherlily's grip, and in an instant, was in front of Wendy.

"Wendy!" Carla cried.

"Teleportation!" Pantherlily said, as he lunged at the Dragon Slayer. However, Mest pulled Wendy out of the way of a massive explosion, much to everyone's surprise.

"The hell was that?" Pantherlily asked.

"He saved Wendy," Carla said.

"Show yourself!" Mest ordered. There was a silent, before a voice came from a tree.

"I must commend you for managing to detect me," the tree said, "That's not simple." Then a face emerged fro the tree, much to everyone's shock.

"I'm of Grimoire Heart's Seven Kin of Purgatory, I'm known as Azuma."

"Grimoire Heart?" Wendy asked.

"One of the Balam Alliance," Carla said, "Like the Oracion Seis."

"I don't understand the point of telling you anything at this point, seeing what's going on now," Azuma said as he fully emerged from the tree trunk. He had dark skin, with flaring brown hair, and a brown beard, wearing a green and orange outfit.

"Explain now!" Pantherlily demanded. There was then a chuckling sound, coming from Mest of all people.

"You know I just came here to find some dirt on Fairy Tail," he said, "But with Grimoire Heart _and_ Zeref now both here. I could get promoted to general."

"Who are you!" Carla snapped.

"I'm a member of the Magic Council," Mest explained, "I came here to find some excuse to get the guild disbanded."

"The Council?" Carla said, "Are they that desperate?"

"Mest…," Wendy muttered.

"Of course now that Grimoire Heart is coming, I think this trumps it," Mest said, "Besides, Grimoire Heart coming to a Fairy Tail island? I"m sure the Council can make that work."

"You scumbags!" Pantherlily said, "And you call yourselves the protectors of justice?"

"I don't give a damn about what you say," Mest said, "I had a Council battleship trace me to, and I'm going to arrest every last one of you?" Sure enough, in the distance, coming closer, was a Council battleship coming in their direction.

"You mean that?" Azusa asked, gesturing over his shoulder. Then, the ship spontaneous exploded.

"Well that solves that." Mest let out a yell, as everyone looked on in horror. Azuma then jumped from the tree, cracking his neck.

"Well, time to finish this."

**Note: Sorry the second half followed canon so closely. I want to have some deviations in the next one, especially considering how Wendy now has her Eclipse Dragon powers. I hope you also liked reading about Gajeel's Dragon's Eye powers.**

**If you have any suggestions about what to do perhaps expand on deviations.**

**Be sure to review. Also be sure to check out my newest story for **_**RWBY**_**, "The Snake's Tears".**


	73. Makarov's Stand

_**Makarov's Stnd**_

Makarov looked closely at a stylized rectangular gave. It was the grave of Mavis Vermillion, the First Master of Fairy Tail.

"To think that I would allow such horrible enemies to our guild," he said, "You must be so ashamed of me. But for now, I must take responsibility for my actions, and protect these children."

**(with Wendy)**

The Fairy Tail members, and the Council member stared at Azuma of Grimoire Heart, as he glared back at them.

"He destroyed the ship just like that?" Mest muttered in shock.

"Is there anything else that you wish to do before I move on?" Azuma asked calmly. With an angry yell, Pantherlily sprung at the dark mage, who flicked his wrist, sending a massive explosion his way.

"Lily!" Wendy cried, as the Exceed was sent careening away by the explosion.

"Its not going that easy!" Lily said as he leapt to his feet, sprouted his wings, and launched at Azuma again, punching at him, only for Azuma to easily evade him. He held up his hands, and created another explosion, though Lily managed to dodge this one, and swoop back down towards Azuma, who blocked his strike. Wendy decided to take action in her own right; she couldn't let Pantherlily fight this battle on his own.

"Sky Eclipse Dragon Mode!" Wendy said, as she activated her newest power.

"Wendy!" Carla cried, as she watched her partner launch into battle.

"Sky Eclipse Dragon's Roar!" Wendy said, releasing her combined dragon breath at Azuma. Caught off guard by this, he only just managed to dodge it. But that allowed Pantherlily to come up behind him, and kick him in the side. Wendy then brought up her arms.

"Sky Eclipse Dragon's Wing Attack!" The combined magic came down at the dark mage. Azuma held up his hand as trunks of trees came up, and absorbed most of the attack, and held up his other hand, causing a large explosion in the process. Pantherlily then dove back down towards Azuma and kicked him from behind. However, not long after being kicked, Azuma pointed at Pantherlily, and created another explosion, though the exceed manage to avoid it.

During all of this, Carla could only watch, her paws clenched, outraged at herself for not being able to do more to help. Beside her, Mest stood in a state of pure shock, watching the dark mage do battle with the light mages.

"Are you really going to just stand idly by and watch while Wendy and Lily do battle like that?" Carla demanded.

"I…," Mest said slowly. Wendy then suddenly skidded to a halt, beside them, panting.

"Mest!" she said, "I need your help!"

"What?!" Mest said, "But I'm a member of the Council!"

"I need to protect my guild!" Wendy said, "Please help me!"

"Did you forget what I said?" Mest said, "I came here to get your guild disbanded for myself!"

"You think that matters now!" Wendy snapped, "We've got much bigger problems now!" Meanwhile, Lily continued to engage in battle with Azuma, avoiding the explosions as he flew around. But he could't do much more than that, unfortunately. _Damn it, if only I had a sword! _he thought. He may have been a good hand-to-hand fighter, but his true skills law in swordsmanship.

"I will commend you," Azuma said calmly, "I believed that this would completely effortlessly. But effort does indeed appear needed."

"I'm not going to let a dark mage like you defile these grounds," Pantherlily said, as he floated over him.

"You won't have much of a choice at this point," Azuma said, "You have no hope of defeating me."

"Why do you think I'm going to be the one?" Pantherlily asked with a smirk. Within in an instant, Mest and Wendy materialized behind Azuma. Wendy summoned forth all her power, both Sky and Eclipse.

"Pathetic," Azuma said, holding up his arms, "Tower Burst." There was a tremendous of explosion so large it could be seen from all the way Natsu was.

When the dust faded, Azuma glanced over to survey his victory. He saw Pantherlily on the ground, back in his smaller form. He also saw Mest and Carla collapsed on the ground.

"Its a pity," Azuma said, "There was potential here." He then turned to start to leave.

"I'm out yet!" Azuma was caught off guard, as he was suddenly kicked in the face by an Eclipse empowered strike. He let out a surprised grunt, as he skidded away; much to his surprise, there was a bruise on his face. Wendy landed on the ground to challenge him, injured, but still standing, and ready to fight. Mest looked up at in shock. _After all that, she can still fight?_

"I suppose commendations are in order," Azuma said, as he wiped the side of his mouth, "Few people can stay standing after receiving my Tower Burst. How did you do it?"

"I shielded myself with Eclipse Dragon Magic," Wendy answered, panting slightly, "I won't let you win!" Azuma looked her over.

"You are barely capable of fighting," he said, "It would be illogical to spend energy to defeat you at this point."

"So you're running?" Wendy said, scowling at him, "I won't let you escape!" She then brought her hands together.

"Sky Eclipse Dragon's Whirlwind!" Spiraling her hands out, a twister of dragon wind enhanced with eclipse magic blasted at Azuma. Azuma held up his hand, releasing an explosion which collided, and the two canceled each other out. Using the dust to conceal herself, Wendy sprung at Azuma. She then inhaled.

"Sky Eclipse Dragon's Roar!" A torrent of wind and dark energy blasted at Azuma, who leapt out of the way. Wendy twisted her said, sending the energy after him. Mest just watched in shock and awe. _She's actually holding up against him_ he thought.

"I'm afraid I'm going to have to cut this 'battle' short," Azuma said, "My attention needs to be elsewhere right now." With that he seemed to sink into the ground.

"No!" Wendy cried, as she leapt at him, with a magic enhanced fist, slamming it into the ground where Azuma was. She created a large crater, but not much else. _Fairy Tail might actually have a chance_ Mest thought.

Natsu suddenly burst through the trees, having come in the direction of where he saw the massive explosion.

"Wendy!" he cried, seeing the Sky Dragon Slayer.

"Natsu?" Wendy asked, as she deactivated Natsu approaching.

"What happened here?" Natsu asked, looking around the battlefield, as the unconscious Lily and Carla.

"Carla! Lily!" Happy cried.

"Are you okay?" Natsu demanded, looking his beloved little sister over for injuries.

"Don't worry, I'm fine," Wendy said, "The combination of the Sky and Eclipse magic protected me." Natsu looked around, and saw Mest sprawled on the ground.

"Hey you bastard!" Natsu demanded, heaving him up by the collar, "Did you beat up my sister and the cats?"

"That guy's from the Magic Council," Wendy explained.

"So you're from the Council?" Natsu asked, narrowing his eyes slightly. He used to be more wary of the Council, but he lost any respect for them after the stint with Oracion Seis.

"No, our enemy is Grimoire Heart," Carla said as she weakly got up, "We need to get everyone together. We need to get ready."

**(aboard Grimoire Heart's airship)**

Having changed into her battle gear, which mostly consisted of white light armor, Ultear looked over the island as they approached.

"Azuma better be doing what he's been told too," she said.

"Chill, Ultear," Zancrow said with his standard mad smile, "Don' tell me you don' trust him."

"Azuma is focused," Caprico said calmly, "It will be done."

"Then let's get ready for war," Rustyrose said, "We need to get this done."

"I… I… I'll also get…" Kain couldn't finish, as he was interrupted by Meredy.

"Look, Ul!"

"Never call me by that name!" Ultear hissed.

"I'm sorry," Meredy said, "I was just saying that there's some kind of magic force coming from there."

"Magic force?" Caprico asked, as he and the others looked out. Hades glanced up from his throne, smirking slightly. He knew this magical signature.

"Makarov."

Out of nowhere, a colossus, almost as large as the approaching island appeared before the ship as it came forth. The giant was mostly bald, and had a bushy mustache, but was most apparent, was the Fairy Tail symbol on its chest.

"**Begone from here!"** the giant rumbled. Hades smirked at the sight of the giant, though his crew didn't seem as calm. Especially as Makarov held up his fist, and with a roar, slammed it into the ship, completely smashing one side of it. Every member of the crew screamed as the ship careened away.

"Remain calm," Hades said, as if nothing had happened, "Ultear, you know what to do." Indeed, the Time Lady knew exactly what to do.

"Arc of Time, Restoration!" she said, activating her magic. The broken ship then began to reassemble itself, undoing the damage.

"Caprice, deploy our forces," Hades said, rising to his feet, "I'll deal with Makarov personally."

"Yes, my Lord," Caprico said, as he clapped his hands. All the Grimoire Heart forces assembled in the ship suddenly flashed out of existence. Soon after, Caprico swooped out of the ship on a jetpack. This didn't go unnoticed by Makarov, but he didn't care. All his attention was on the advancing air ship. Makarov then brought his hands together, forming a great ball of gold light.

"**Per custom, I will give you till the count of three before wiping you all away,"** he said. Hades, meanwhile, advanced onto the ship's bow.

"**One…"**

"Fairy Law," he said, "The ultimate magic that destroys anyone the caster deems their enemy."

"**Two…" ** However, Hades did not move a muscle.

"**Three," **Makarov said**, "Time's up." **He then pressed his hands together, creating a massive glow that seemed to outshine even the sun.

"**Fairy Law!"**

"I wouldn't do that," Hades said, as he brought his own hands together, creating torrents of dark energy, "Grimoire Law." Makarov abruptly stopped the spell, as he saw the caster.

"I'd rather not do this," Hades said calmly, "Its more of a deterrent than anything else. Nonetheless, you don't want to see what the result of using this spell is." Makarov stared in horror at the face he knew all too well.

_(Flashback)_

"_Me, the Third Master?!" a much younger Makarov asked, "You got to be kidding!"_

"_Actually, I'd say you're perfectly suited for the job, son," the Second Master of Fairy Tail, Precht said._

"_I've got a pregnant wife!" Makarov said, "You can't call me 'son' anymore."_

"_You have a heart worthy of inheriting the legacy of Mavis," Precht said, "You have love, courage, and devotion in your heart. So I trust Fairy Tail to you."_

_(End Flashback)_

"**Master Precht?" **Makarov asked in shock.

"Long time no see, son," Hades said. He looked almost exactly the same as he did then, with the long white hair and beard, the only difference being a mustache.

"**Why… how…" **Makarov didn't get a chance to continue, as several chains erupted from Hades' hands, and latched onto Makarov's shoulders. With a flick of his wrist, Hades sent Makarov careening away. As he fell into the island, he shifted back to his normal size. Leaping to his feet, he noticed Hades appearing before him.

"I presume you have some questions," he said.

"Only one: why?" Makarov answered, "Why are you in a force for evil?"

"'Evil'?" Hades echoed, "Things are not so black and white. There is far much more to the world."

"That doesn't change what it means for Fairy Tail?" Makarov said, clenching his fists," I don't want to have to fight you. Leave this place!"

"In a perfect world, neither would I," Hades answered, "Fairy Tail has done well for itself. Your Dragon Slayer defeated Zero of the Oracion Seis, and you recently began the newest generation." It unnerved Makarov even more that Hades seemed to know of the birth of Natsu and Lucy's son.

"I will not let you step on Fairy Tail!" Makarov roared, as he held out his hands. Beam of light shot from them, but Hades waved his hand, as dark magic deflected the light away. The dark magic then formed several dark seals which encircled Makarov. The guild master recognized it as the Amaterasu seals. The seals then exploded, but Makarov mangled to form a shield of light, defending him from the worst of the attack. However, several chains came from Hades' hands, latching onto Makarov, and sending him swing through the forest, or more accurately, the trees.

"Mavis once told me I dance with blades," Hades said, "But now I dance with magic." Several more seals appeared around Makarov, and before he could dispel or block it, it exploded. The burst was so great, it was felt by everyone on the island.

When the dust faded, Makarov remained standing, but only just barely, panting. He was badly wounded, grabbing his chest.

"You're doing just as good as I thought you would," Hades said, "I knew I was making the right choice leaving the guild with you. But sadly, age is a cruel mistress." He approached the Third Master, till he was looming over him.

"You always taught me and the others the importance of harmony, and how to walk the path of light," Makarov said, "How could you have fallen to darkness?"

"Simple," Hades answered calmly, "I found the true origin of magic. That is to say, darkness. Magic first came from darkness, and was split apart into the different ideals we now know. That was when I found Zeref, and that true One Magic." Makarov fell to his knees, his legs finally giving out.

"Fairy Tail had a good life, but that life has ended," Hades said, before starting to depart. But Makarov wasn't one to give up. With that, with what little remained of his strength, he sprung at Hades. The fallen master, held out his hand.

A beam of dark energy pierced clean through Makarov's chest. The Third Master of Fairy Tail fell to the ground, completely defeated, and barely alive. He then reached his hand out to nowhere.

_Its not over yet… not while _he_ can still inherit my will._

**(somewhere)**

In a desert, somewhere on the continent, a cloaked figure suddenly stopped in his tracks.

"What was that?" Laxus asked, looking into the distance.

**Note: Sorry this is so close to cannon with Makarov, but I hoped you enjoyed the differences with Wendy's battle. And unlike cannon, she still might be able to fight. I hope that much was enjoyable.**

**I would love to hear suggestions about how to change it though.**

**Be sure to review. You can follow a story, you can leave a review.**

**On an unrelated note, what do people think of the most recent chapter. I've seen some praise, and some rants. Two people even declared their intention to drop the manga entirely. It always frustrates me when people drop any series just because it hasn't been going the way it wanted. A mangaka isn't there to satisfy anyone one group of people. Seeing what needs to happen at this point in the story, I can't get mad at the author for finishing up fights that aren't nearly as important. Well that's my rant; I'd love to hear other people's opinion on this. Which reminds, I take notice that nobody has ever gone so far as to say they like this more than canon; and that's good. It severely pisses me off when writers think they can do better than the creator.**


	74. God Slayer

_**God Slayer**_

After departing the ship, Capricorn had descended upon the island, to fulfill his first task in Grimoire Heart's assault. Soaring over the island in his jetpack, he began to drop strange orbs. This didn't go unnoticed by the Fairy Tail mages.

"The hell's that?" Cana asked, as she, Lucy, Gray, and Loke all looked into the sky at the falling orbs. They were in the remnants of some form of building complex. Lucy would have to make a note to research it more. But her attention was obviously above her. As the the orbs fell, there was an explosion of light, as the orbs were replaced by dozens of men armed with swords, clubs, and some kind of magic tools.

"Its raining men!" Loke said.

"I'd say 'hallelujah', but they don't look friendly," Lucy said. And it wasn't just there. All over the island, a practical army had literally fallen from the sky. To that end, Fairy Tail did all it knew at this point: fight.

Unfortunately, that army also included the remaining members of the Seven Kin, as they spread out across the island to fulfill their task.

"Okay, now I really wish Haru was here!" Lucy said.

"You want your baby here int his fight?" Gray asked, staring at her.

"I don't know!" Lucy said, slouching, "I just really want to be with him!"

**(somewhere)**

Zeref stared at the sky, as he took a breath.

"Another conflict," he said, "How many does that make now?" Suddenly, he could feel a presence.

"Aw, so you decided to visit me, didn't you, my love?" Zeref asked.

"Well, this is _my_ island, so aren't _you_ visiting _me_?" A light appeared, and from that light a figure. It was of a girl with wavy blonde hair that fell all the way to the ground, wearing a white, frilly dress, and two little wing hair accessories. Zeref smiled, but this smile was of pure happiness.

"Mavis," he said softly, holding out his hand. The figure of Mavis Vermillion, the Mother of Fairy Tail approached Zeref, and reached forward. Her hand phased right through Zeref's, but it didn't matter for the warmth Zeref felt was enough. Mavis then smiled herself, as she lay on top of Zeref, as if trying to cuddle up to him.

"Are you going to intervene in this battle?" she asked softly.

"And risk being woken again, and having to leave this island?" Zeref asked, looking down at Mavis, "I'll never let myself be so far apart from you again." Mavis lay her head the best she could against Zeref's chest, as Zeref tried to wrap his arms around the astral figure.

"This time here, being in your presence has been a kind reprieve from my years of torment," he said. Mavis smiled slightly, before her face fell again, and she looked away.

"How could I have misjudged Precht so terribly?" she asked, "I thought…"

"This wasn't your fault," Zeref said, "If anything it was mine. I was the one who taught him magic. I'm the one who drew him here."

"I don't regret you teaching us magic," Mavis said, "Without you, Fairy Tail would never have existed." Zeref chuckled slightly.

"There's a thought," he said, as he looked back at the sky, and felt the warmth of his beloved. _If only this could last forever._

**(with Natsu and Wendy)**

Natsu was very up to the new found challenge, and began beating up every dark mage that was stupid enough to try and challenge him. Wendy also tried to fight, but was much more worn out than her brother, not that stopped her from trying.

"Mest's gone," she noted, as she blasted away one enemy.

"Forget that punk!" Natsu said, slamming a fist into an enemy's gut, "We've got more important things to do right now!" Wendy wasn't sure if that was a good idea, but it was all they could do at this point, so she continued fighting. As several enemies charged Natsu, the Fire Dragon Slayer brought his hands together.

"Fire Dragon's Swirling Flame!" A spiral of flames careened out of his hands, blasting away another series of enemies.

"Damn it!" one mage said, "How tough is this guy!"

"Why don't you dumb asses back off?" Natsu and Wendy looked up, and saw a man with mad red eyes, and wild blonde hair.

"Sir Zancrow!" the dark mages said excitedly.

"You guys aren't a match for any of them," Zancrow said, cracking this neck, "Leave them to me. You go find Lord Zeref."

"Yes sir!"

"Thank you! But be careful, that pink haired guy's really tough."

"So is that little girl." Zancrow suddenly paused, as he looked at his lackeys.

"Care to run that by me again?" he asked.

"Well that guy's Salamander, and that blue haired girl apparently survived Sir Azuma's attack."

"There's only one strongest guild on Earthland," Zancrow said, as he held up his hands, which was cloaked in black flames "And its name is Grimoire Heart!" With that, the dark mages were completely consumed in black fire, much to the Fairy Tail mages' horror.

"The hell did you do that for!" Natsu snapped

"They were on your side!" Wendy piped up.

"They were weak!" Zancrow declared, "Grimoire Heart has no weaklings!" He then brought his hands together, and shot out pitch black flames at Natsu.

"You think that'll work on me!" Natsu said, as he let the fire come at him. Wendy sensed something, though, and launched at him, but it was too late as the flames consumed Natsu. When the Natsu tried to eat it, however, he felt something he hadn't felt in a long time, hot, and not the good kind. While the Dragon Slayer managed to hold his ground, as he fell to one knee, panting.

"He couldn't eat the fire?" Carla asked.

"I wield fire that trumps dragon fire, I wield god fire," Zancrow said, "I'm a God Slayer."

"A God Slayer?" Wendy asked. She'd never heard about such magic. But if it truly held the power to overcome Natsu… Wendy couldn't think about that, at the time. She had to focus on helping Natsu.

"God Slaying Magic?" Natsu sneered, wiping the side of his mouth.

"You deaf or something?" Natsu then sprung at Zancrow with a flame charged fist. Zancrow blocked, before Natsu came up to kick at the so arrogantly entitled "God Slayer".

"You mean to tell me you learned it from some punk up in the sky?" Zancorw blocked the attack again.

"I learned this magic from Master Hades, and he might as well be a god!" Zancrow answered.

"Well I didn't learn my magic second hand!" Natsu said, "I learned it from a real dragon!" He then leapt back, and brought his hands together, before spinning them out.

"Fire Dragon's Torrent!" A swirl of flames came out his hands, sending a swirl of fire at Zancrow.

"That's your move!" Happy said to Wendy.

"I'll admit that Natsu copied some of my techniques," Wendy admitted.

"Please don't tell me that you copied some of his," Carla said.

"Well…," Wendy said, before deciding now was the time. She jumped at Zancrow, as he worked to block Natsu's attack. Wind gathered in both of Wendy's hands.

"Sky Dragon's Brilliant Gust!" she said, bring her hands together, and creating an enormous blast of wind at Zancrow.

"Fire God's Armor!" Black fire formed around Zancrow's body. This blocked most of the attack, but the siblings were quick to respond.

"Fire Dragon's Roar!"

"Sky Dragon's Roar!" The two attacks came together, as they both struck at Zancrow. When Natsu and Wendy's attacks collided, there was a tremendous explosion. But when then the dust faded, it showed Zancrow still standing, but he still seemed slightly bruised.

"They're hurting him!" Happy said, smiling.

"The power of a dragon and a god clashing," Carla murmured in awe.

"You call yourself a God Slayer?" Natsu said, cracking his neck, "Then we've got some pretty lame gods." Zancrow began to shake, as the air around him began to steam.

"Alright…," Zancrow said, as he straightened, and then screamed, "Now I'm really pissed off!" His body then erupted into black fire.

"God Force!"

**Note: I decided to give God Slayers a "God Force", just like Dragon Slayers have their "Dragon Force". More hopes to give deviations from canon. Wendy will also get a bigger role in this, since she's still in fighting condition, unlike canon. The thing about deities in Fairy Tail, is that it sort of straddles the line between the Eastern style of physical gods that can be challenged and defeated, to Western style of heavenly gods that are all seeing and all powerful. **

**I also thought it would be nice to put in Mavis and Zeref in a romantic scene. I believe that on Tenrou Island, anyone can see Mavis, not just Fairy Tail members, and that Zeref is capable of seeing Mavis in general because of his curse. And if not, then a little Zervis is still nice.**

**Let me go ahead and say this quickly: don't think of this as a "fix-it-fic". I don't like that term, it connotes that a fanfic writer can do better than the creator. I can't write Fairy Tail better than Hiro Mashima, plain and simple fact.**

**Be sure to review.**

**On an unrelated note, there's a Fairy Tail RP I'm on by an individual named Hetalia Saxophone. Its called "Fairy Tail: The RP"**


	75. Dragons and Gods

_**Dragons and Gods**_

Even Natsu felt the heat radiating from Zancrow, as he activated "God Force". He and Wendy stared at Zancrow, as he glowed in the flames. When the fires finally cleared up, they saw what he looked like now. Black cracks had formed over Zancrow's body, with black flames leaking out of the cracks. His wild hair had turned black, and now waved like flames. The colors of his eyes had inverted, with red where white should've been, and vice versa.

"This power," Wendy said, shaking slightly, "Its… its…"

"Don't be afraid," Natsu said, slamming his fist into his palm, "We can take this guy no problem!" With that, the Dragon Slayer held back his hands.

"Fire Dragon's Blast!" A burst of flames fired at Zancrow, who remained still. But as the fire enveloped him, it was sucked into the cracks that were throughout Zancrow's body.

"Seems a lowly serpent decided to fly into the gods' domain," Zancrow said, as he held up his hand, where there were was an opening on his palm. Black flames then shot out of his palm, at Natsu, who was blasted away. With a cry, he was slammed against the ground. When the dust faded, it showed that, for the first time for as long as he could remembered, Natsu had been burned.

"Natsu!" Wendy cried.

"Piss off brat," Zancrow said, flicking his wrist, and sending a blast of fire Wendy's way. Before it hit her, Carla managed to bring back her wings, and pull Wendy out of the way just in time.

"Make that two serpents," Zancrow said, cracking his neck, "And a couple pitiful cats."

"Leave her alone!" Natsu said, leaping at Zancrow again, holding up his hands, "Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flame!" But when he brought down he explosion of flames, the dragon fire was simply sucked back through the cracks along Zancrow's body.

"Not even dragons deserve to fly where gods dwell," Zancrow said, "Anything thing that dares, will get knocked back to the ground!" He then sucked in.

"Fire God's Howl!" His own version of a breath attack consisting of black flames shot at Natsu. The Dragon Slayer tried to counter, using his own breath attack, but the god fire overcame the dragon fire, and blasted Natsu away, and through the trees.

"Natsu!" Happy cried, as he tried to fly to him, only to be pulled back by Carla.

"You'll just get in the way!" she said. While Zancrow's attention was on Natsu, Wendy came up behind him.

"Sky Dragon's Wing Attack!" She brought down her attack on Zancrow, only for him to easily block with a curtain of black flames. Wendy managed to use her wind to boost herself out of the way, to avoid his breath attack again. She could feel that she had expended much of her Eclipse powers in the fight with Azuma, which was seriously frustrating considering how useful they would have been at this point. But Wendy didn't care, she still had to fight. With that, she focused, drawing on what remained. Zancrow apparently took notice of that.

"You got something new?" he sneered, "You really think you can win?"

"I don't think," Wendy said, before looking up, and saying with pure conviction, "I know we can win!"

"How stupid are you?" Zancrow said, "Even dragon are nothing compared to gods!"

"Then I'll tear those gods down!" Natsu said as he sprung up behind Zancrow, "Fire Dragon's Hammer!" Bring his fists together, he slammed them down, creating a huge fist of flames down at Zancrow.

"You never learn do you!" Zancrow asked, as he held up his arms to absorb the flames again. But as his vision was blocked by the flames, Natsu came down through them, and socked Zancrow in the face.

"If my fire won't work, then I'll just beat you up the old fashioned way!" Natsu declared, grabbing onto Zancrow's shoulders, and then head butting the God Slayer in the nose. Dazed slightly by the attack, Zancrow was vulnerable when Wendy came up behind him.

"Sky Eclipse Dragon's Sword Horn!" She struck Zancrow in the back hard, but he didn't go forward far before Natsu hit him the stomach. No magic, just pure brute force. Zancrow, despite himself, coughed slightly at the force, and sent him flying back.

"This is our sacred ground!" Natsu said, as Wendy helped him up, "You can't beat us here!" Zancrow jumped back to his feet, and more fire began to stream out of the cracks in his body.

"For such pathetic mortals…," he muttered, "… to defy the will of the god of fire…" He then held up his arms.

"YOU WILL ALL TURN TO ASH!" Massive clouds of fire then erupted from his arms, and into he air, swirling up to form a shape.

"Incarnation of Fire!" The fire then took a humanoid form, that followed Zancrow's movements.

"What kind of magic is this?" Wendy said, holding onto her brother.

"This is this the ultimate power of God Slayer Magic!" Zancrow explained, a mad grin on his face, "There's nothing you can hope to do to stop me!" With that, he held up his hand, as the incarnation mimicked. Bringing down the fist, both Natsu and Wendy dove out of the way to avoid it in opposite directions.

"Fire Dragon's Roar!" Natsu said, blasting his fires at the incarnation, only for it to be cancelled out by the god fire. The incarnation then knocked Natsu away.

"Fire God's Ultimate Howl!" The incarnation then breathed out a burst of black fire at Natsu, who managed to move out of the way just in time.

"Sky Dragon's Torrent!" Wendy said, sending a swirl of wind at the incarnation, in the hopes of dissipating the flames. However the flames were too thick to be properly blown away. The incarnation then advanced at Wendy, who started running. Meanwhile, Natsu looked at the incarnation, and ran his options. There weren't many.

"If only I could use Dragon Aspect!" he said. Dragon Aspect drew the from the same magic pool as Dragon's Eye, the primary difference being that Dragon's Eye used half of it, whereas Dragon Aspect used all of it. And seeing as he didn't have enough, Dragon Aspect was a no go.

That was when Natsu remembered something. That time had had burned Lucy, and he had a vision of Igneel, and the dragon Igneel called "Smaug". Natsu knew the power that Smaug represented, and how Natsu had decided to reject it, so as to prevent himself from hurting anybody. But now… Natsu close this eyes and focused.

_(in the inner world)_

_Natsu stood amongst the raging fires of the volcano, his eyes closed. Smaug loomed over him, before opening his wings, and turning into flames that swirled around Natsu. Igneel watched from overhead, narrowing his eyes. He understood the issue Natsu was facing, so it was not as if he didn't know what to do._

"_**Just be careful my son,"**__ he said._

_(in the real world)_

Natsu let out a tremendous roar, getting the attention of everyone near him. His body exploded in fire, as scales began to creep onto his arm. The arm then turned into one of his wings, though it did not expand to the rest of his body like his Dragon Aspect. Everyone, even Zancrow stared in shock at the sight.

"Natsu," Happy said softly.

"The hell's this?" Zancrow said. Within an instant, Natsu leapt at the incarnation, his transformed claw first, infused with fire. Zancrow held up the incarnation's arm, only for the dragon fire to cleave right through it, much to Zancrow's shock.

"How…" Not giving him a chance to recover, Natsu inhaled.

"Fire Dragon's Roar!" The pure dragon fire descended upon the incarnation, who held up its arms in defense, but for the first time, the god fire couldn't defend against the dragon fire, and the incarnation was pushed back.

"Natsu's pushing him back!" Happy said.

"How is he…," Carla began.

"I've got an idea," Pantherlily said, as he slowly got up.

"Lily! You're alright!" Happy said.

"That's a stretch," Pantherlily said, looking at the ensuing fight, "I'm not in fighting condition by a longshot. But as for what's going on here, I think Natsu's drawing on his internal power, which is essentially pure dragon power, right?"

"Well, sort of, but…," Happy began.

"That's good enough," Pantherlily interrupted, "It seems this Grimoire Heart member is just mimicking divine power. Natsu's power is not a mimicry, its real dragon fire." Meanwhile, Wendy looked on in awe at the sight of this.

"Wendy!" Natsu called, "Let's go!" Wendy quickly hurried over to him.

"What?"

"I've got a plan!" Natsu said, "Just follow my lead!"

"But…" Wendy quickly decided not to argue, when her brother was sure about anything, he was certainly onto something. With that, she did as Natsu instructed, and followed his lead. The two then brought their hands together, as fire and wind gathered in an orb.

"You worthless worms!" Zancrow roared, as he and the incarnation loomed over them, "Forget ash! I'm going to leave nothing left at all!" He then charged them in the incarnation. With a combined roar, the dragon siblings launched their attack.

"Dragon Slayer's Secret Technique: Fire Raining From the Sky!" The combined magic pierced right through the incarnation, and into Zancrow. Due to the magic being completely synchronized, he was unable to split the fire from the wind, and absorb it. The God Slayer was sent flying away.

"Now Wendy!" Natsu said.

"Right!" Wendy said, before using the wind to rocket herself into the air, over Zancrow, "Sky Dragon's Falling Sword!" Bring down her arms, a blade of wind struck down at Zancrow, sending him crashing into the ground. But the Dragon Slayer wasn't through yet.

"Sky Dragon's Roar!" The attack drove Zancrow even further into the ground. Wendy landed, and fell to one knee, panting. When the dust cleared, it showed Zancrow completely defeated.

"They did it!" Happy said excitedly. Wendy glanced at her brother, who grinned at her, only to suddenly collapse to the ground.

"Natsu!"

**Note: I decided to end this chapter here, since the fight was so long, it wouldn't have really fit together to add something onto the end. As you might observe, this was very different from canon, probably for the best. I decided to give Wendy a role in the fight, because I like Wendy. She's my fifth favorite character with the others being: 4) Zeref; 3) Erza; 2) Lucy; 1) Natsu.**

**Be sure to review.**


	76. Paradise Lost

_**Paradise Lost**_

Makarov had been drifting in and out of consciousness since his fight with Hades, albeit he was mostly of the time he was conscious, it was struggling to stay alive. The only chance he had was to get to the camp, where at least one of the guild could maybe save him. But that was starting to seem less and less likely.

That was when he started hearing voices. At first he thought it was one of the Grimoire invaders, but then he heard more.

"Why isn't he waking up yet?"

"He's strained himself far more than normal, and that's saying something."

"He's still go his weird wing arm, too. Why can't you heal him?"

"Something's blocking the healing magic, I don't know what to do."

"We need to get back to the camp. We can gather our thoughts there."

"Aye sir…" Makarov saw two people and three cats come through the trees. It was Wendy and the Exceeds, but Makarov also noticed that Wendy was trying to support Natsu.

"We.. Wendy…," Makarov weakly called. The Sky Dragon Slayer looked up.

"Master!" she cried, as she moved over to him. Once she got to him, Wendy activated her healing magic.

"No," Makarov said, trying to wave her away, "Take care… (cough)… of Natsu, first."

"I've tried," Wendy said, "But something's stopping my magic from working."

"I'm not sure what exactly it is," Carla said, "Though there is definitely something blocking it."

"I was hoping that if we could get back to the camp, then we could figure out what to do there," Wendy said, tearing up slightly, "But…." Makarov glanced at the Fire Dragon Slayer. His left arm had turned into a draconic wing-arm coated in red scales. Something else Makarov took notice of, was how his generally white-scaled scarf was now pitch black. It didn't take long for Makarov to realize what had happened to it.

"Would it possible for you to undo the damage to his scarf?" he asked.

"His scarf?" Wendy asked.

"There is some kind of dark magic within it," Makarov explained, "I think that's what's getting in your way." Wendy didn't bother to think about it, as she started using the healing magic on Natsu's scarf.

"That weird guy with black hair was the one who did it," Happy said. Pantherlily arched an eyebrow.

"Could that person be…"

**(in the battlefield)**

Mavis looked over the wrecked area, baring the scars of conflict. She stared in silence at the sight.

"Mavis," Zeref said softly, coming up behind her.

"Ever since I first left this island, I wanted this island to be a place of peace and friendship," Mavis said, "And now…" Her fists clenched. Tears then began to drip down her face.

"All this violence, all this terror," she said weakly. Zeref watched his beloved cry, as his fists tightened.

**(at the camp)**

Gajeel and Levy had made it back to the camp, and they were currently trying to figure out their next move with Mirajane and Lisanna.

"We need to get everyone together, that's what's most important at this point," Mirajane said.

"Everyone's all over the island, that'd take too long," Gajeel said, "I say we all go on the offensive."

"You are aware of one of Fairy Tail's most important creeds, right?" Lisanna asked.

"Friendship is the most important thing since existence?" Gajeel said sarcastically.

"1) That's true. 2) The sarcasm's not helping. 3) Its 'united we stand'," Levy said, "We need to find the others so we can all launch our counter-offensive."

"Then how do we do that?" Gajeel said, "Its not like there are a bunch of small communication lacrima."

"I think Warren's actually studying something like that," Levy said.

"Lisanna and I can sprout wings and go flying around the island," Mirajane said, "We can…"

"Ah good. I was begging to think that only children and felines were guarding the island." The four whirled around to see Azuma approaching them.

"Who're you?" Gajeel demanded, taking his fighting stance.

"Who I am is irrelevant," Azuma said, "All you need to know is that I'm of Grimoire Heart."

"Wha…," Mirajane didn't finish, because, as it turned out, that _was_ all Gajeel needed to hear. With a yell, the Iron Dragon Slayer sprung at Azuma.

"Gajeel!" Levy cried.

"Iron Dragon's Sword!" Azuma easily evaded it, and held up his hands. A huge explosion formed around Gajeel, who just in time managed to coat himself in dragon scales, though it still received much of the explosion, sending him careening away. Meanwhile, Lisanna elected to help, without or without her sister's approval.

"Animal Soul: Tiger!" Turning into a tiger esque cat-girl, the younger Strauss girl, pounced at Azuma, swinging her clawed paws. The Grimoire Heart mage blocked the strike with his arm, before kicking Lisanna way.

"Iron Dragon's Roar!" Azuma held up both arms, as a series of roots came together. They were so thick that they blocked the dragon iron. Gajeel clenched his teeth in frustration. He knew that his Dragon's Eye wasn't something he could just turn on off like a regular magic. In addition, he had already expended much of his energy in that battle with the Grimoire Heart mages from earlier. And this guy was on a completely different level.

"Solid Script: Fire!" Levy said, bringing up letters of fire in hopes of burning away the roots. However, the fire had virtually no effect.

"These roots are akin to the roots of the world," Azuma said darkly, "Not even dragon fire can burn through them."

"Mira!" Lisanna called, as she leapt to her feet, "Use Satan Soul!"

"I would if I could, but its not like I can use that spell on repeat," Mirajane said.

"Satan Soul?" Azuma asked, arching an eyebrow, "So you're the Demon Mirajane? Excellent. Perhaps I will be able to find the challenge I desire."

"Hey! We're the ones fighting!" Gajeel snapped. However, with a flick of Azuma's wrist, more roots came out of the ground, coiling around Gajeel like snakes, restraining him.

"Gajeel!" Levy said, as she ran over to him.

"I only wish to fight an opponent at their full strength," Azuma said, "So I politely request to do battle against the Demon present." Mirajane glared at him angrily.

"Now it should be noted I'm on a schedule here," Azuma said, when the Take Over mage didn't do anything, "So while I would rather not do something dishonorable…" He then pointed at Lisanna. Similar kinds of roots then writhed around her, but this time, what looked like a timer lit up, and began counting down from 180 seconds.

"Lisanna!" Mirajane cried.

"You have three minutes to earn my respect," Azuma said, gesturing for the Take Over mage to come. However, as it turned out, he wouldn't need to, as Mirajane had already cloaked herself in magic.

*180

With a cry of pure, unbridled rage, the Demon sprung at Azuma, slashing at him with her claws. Azuma managed to evade the attack, and with a flick of his finger, several roots sprung up and went for Mira, who flew out of the way. Bring her hands together, the barkeep summoned a swirl of dark energy, and blasted it at him. The dark mage avoided it, and pointed at Mira.

"Chain Burst!" A root shot at Mira, exposing along it, before slamming into her. The attack it, but didn't do enough damage to take her out of the fight, as she recovered, and dove at Azuma again, slashing her claws at him. Azuma blocked her arm, before bringing up his own fist, as Mirajane brought down her fist as well. The two fists collided, sending the two careening back.

"Mirajane!" Lisanna cried.

*140

As the two dueled, Levy continued to try and pull at the roots binding Gajeel, who managed to work an arm free. He then turned the arm into a sword, and started to hack at the roots.

"What are these roots made out of, iron?" Levy griped.

"Then I could just eat my wait out of this."

"Soul Extinctor!" Mirajane yelled, launching her dark orb at Azuma. Azuma created his roots to block it, but the explosion still inflicted some damage on him, as he skidded away. He smirked slightly.

"Pretty good," he said. Mirajane then dove down at Azuma, colliding into him. This pushed Azuma back, but he thew the Demon away.

"Whips of Hell!" Mirajane said, summoning up a pair of whips made of dark energy, and lashing them at Azuma. One of them got around his wrist, as she slammed him head first into the ground. Mirajane then yanked him towards her, before slamming his fist into his gut.

After Azuma emerged from the wrecked tree the fist had sent him into, he wiped the side of his mouth, noting some blood. He smiled.

"Just what I needed," he said.

"Tormenting people for fun," Mirajane said, her glare so intense that it could crack stone, "What kind of man are you?"

"A man who enjoys doing battle," Azuma said plainly, "And you can give me a good one." He then flicked his wrist, sending explosion Mirajane's way, who flew to safety relatively easily.

"Release my sister!" Mirajane demanded. Azuma just continued to smirk.

*80

"Evil Explosion!" Mirajane roared, launching one of her most powerful attack at the Grimoire Heart mage, who blocked the attack with his roots again, though, once again the force still blasted him away. Not waiting for him to recover, Mira slashed, leaving several gashes across his chest. She was then knocked away by his roots.

"Its been sometime since I had a fight like this one," Azuma said, a look of pure excitement on his face. He then got ready to continue fighting, before out of nowhere he had to dodge a slash from Gajeel, who had finally managed to free himself from the roots.

"I'm here too!" he declared, "I'm not going to let our guild waitress have all the fun!"

"I'm not interested in you, Dragon Slayer," Azuma said darkly, "You are already spent."

"Hell I am!" Gajeel countered, as he inhaled, and let loose his breath attack, which Azuma easily evaded. That gave Mirajane the opportunity to strike at him again, lashing her tail at Azuma, who caught it, and threw her away.

"Iron Dragon's Cub!" A club of pure dragon iron struck at Azuma. The strike was caught by Azuma, who managed to push Gajeel away, who skidded back. He wasn't going to pretend he was at full strength. Much to the contrary, Azuma was correct in the sense that he was very much spent. But that wasn't going to stop him.

*40

Deciding to do more than just watch the fight from the background, Levy ran to Lisanna, and tried to pull away the roots.

"Stop, Levy!" Lisanna said, "Just get out of here!"

"Just abandoning my guild mates to save my skin?" Levy asked, "Who do you take me for, a member of the Magic Council?"

Meanwhile, Mirajane dove down, her fists outstretched, crashing into a series of roots. Right after, Gajeel came up from behind Azuma, swinging his bladed leg, who ducked out of the way just in time.

"I'm not interested in dealing with you," Azuma said, "Take your attention elsewhere." He then pointed at Levy. On reflex, Gajeel darted in the blue-haired girl's direction. That distracted him long enough, for a series of roots to wrap around Gajeel. With a snap of his fingers, the roots all exploded.

"Gajeel!" Levy cried.

"Damn it!" Mirajane hissed, looking down at her enemy. Then she looked at Lisanna.

*20

That was when the S-Class mage made a decision. She then flew down towards Lisanna, pushing Levy out of the way, or more accurately, harm's way. Mira then wrapped her wings and tail around her sister, much to bother the sister, and the opponent's surprise.

"Mirajane, what are you doing?!" Lisanna

"Don't try and remove the roots!" Azuma said, "Keep fighting me!" Mirajane just remained silent, as she tightened her hold on her sister.

"That guy's way out of my league," she said softly, "At the this point, its more important that I protect you. Besides…" The Demon then smiled gently Lisanna.

5*

"But there are people who can beat him." Azuma watched in shock at this act of devotion.

"I'm not going to ever risk losing you again."

1*

The ensuing explosion seemed to rock the whole island. The explosion sent both Levy and Gajeel flying away, as well as a lot of the trees. The only one who was able to hold his ground was Azuma, who watched as the dust cleared.

Lying on the ground, her Take Over gone, was a motionless Mirajane, lying over a conscious Lisanna.

"M.. Mira?" she asked softly. Her sister remained motionless. Azuma glanced at the siblings, as he took a breath and looked away. This wasn't supposed to be how he achieved victory, it was a cowards way. But nothing to do about it now at this point. With that, he departed, as Gajeel and Levy ran over to Mira.

"C… Come on," Lisanna stuttered, starting cry, "Get up. Mira…"

**(somewhere else on the island)**

"I'm getting close," Ultear said, as she walked through the forests, "Zeref has to be near. And once I have him…" The woman smiled at the thought. So long waiting, and now she was finally going to find him. Suddenly she sensed a presence.

"So you're here to find me, yes?" Ultear looked at the source of the voice, as a look of a shock came over her face, before changing into a look of joy, as Zeref approached her.

"You brought the conflict here. And now…." A dark aura suddenly swirled around Zeref.

"You dared to make Mavis cry," he said, with a tone of pure rage.

**Note: I tried to expand slightly on the battle between Mirajane and Azuma, by adding Gajeel into it. I hoped you liked it. I also decided to add another Mavis and Zeref scene, and give some Zervis motivation for Zeref getting so angry.**

**Be warned ahead of time, changes made to canon are soon going to start a butterfly effect which will begin to have drastic effects on the story. The exact kind of changes I'll obviously not answer just yet.**

**Be sure to review.**


	77. The World of Magic

_**The World of Magic**_

Ultear couldn't move, as she shook in joy at the sight of Zeref standing before her. _He's finally here… _she thought_ I can finally…_

"My lord!" she cried, falling to a knee, "I am unworthy to be in your presence." Zeref stared at the young woman, narrowing his red eyes.

"Tell me something," he said, "Do you know where you are?"

"Tenrou Island, my Lord," Ultear answered immediately, "It is the territory of the guild, Fairy Tail." The mage couldn't help but wonder why he was present in the first place.

"Oh I know that," Zeref said, cracking his neck, "But it is far more than that. This is the home of Mavis Vermillion." Ultear knew that name, the Master had told her about it. She knew that Mavis was the one who founded the guild.

"Yes, I understand, sire," she said, "And we are here to take you to your world."

"My world?"

"Yes, the great world of magic awaits you." Zeref looked woman over closely. Then all of a sudden, the atmosphere changed. It was like the air had turned to stone. Ultear couldn't move, as the aura of Zeref began to smother her.

"Leave this island here and now," the dark mage hissed. Ultear wanted to ask why, but found she couldn't speak.

"You desecrate the home of my cherished Mavis, you attack her children, and you expect me to come as I do?" Zeref said, "Its been sometime since I've been this angry." Ultear finally mustered the strength to look at him. The gaze was so hard, it could crack diamonds. _"Cherished Mavis"_ she thought_ He loves…._

Suddenly, Ultear began to feel something she hadn't felt in a long time: pure fear. The glare of Zeref began to drill into her very soul. It was the feeling of an executor holding an axe over one's neck, in preparation to bring it down. As she stared in horror, a dark aura began to seep out of Zeref's body. He then held up his hand….

"Zeref," a gentle voice called. All the rage evaporated, as Zeref turned, and Ultear looked over. A young girl stood before them. She had long wavy blonde hair, with light green eyes, and was wearing a flowing dress.

"Mavis," Zeref said, with a far more content voice now. That caught Ultear off guard. This child was the founder of the most powerful guild in Fiore? The girl approached, and put a hand on Zeref's arm.

"Calm yourself," she said, "Do not be the devil they think you are. Do not let the man I love be lost again." Zeref immediately took a step back, much to Ultear's shock. Mavis looked down at Ultear, who was still on the ground.

"Tell me your name, child." The girl's eyes seemed to have an even more intense gaze than Zeref's.

"Ultear Milkovich." Ultear didn't know why she answered that. But there was something about Mavis that…. She couldn't explain it. Mavis looked carefully at the woman, as if studying her every single aspect.

"Its strange," she said, "I do not sense a tremendous amount of darkness in your heart. No, what I sense is…. pain. Yes, that's it." Ultear opened her mouth to answer, but no words came.

"I am not going to question your reasons for being here, seeing how much you seem believe in them," Mavis said calmly, "I'm not sure what Precht told you to earn such loyalty. Though whatever he told you, it is a lie."

"But…," Ultear said, finding her voice, "Master Hades…"

"'Hades'?" Mavis interrupted, "So that's the name he's going by now? I am definitely going to have a word with him later. But whatever he promised you, cannot be done. If you try and amend your past, you can't look into the future." Deciding to leave Ultear with those words, before turning and walking away.

"Come on Zeref!" Mavis said, suddenly smiling sweetly, "Let's go find a nicer place to be together." Zeref nodded before following, also smiling a smile of pure contentment. He then seemed to take Mavis hand, as the two vanished into the trees.

Now alone, Ultear fell to her rear, shaking. She reached up to her face. She was crying.

**(somewhere else on the island)**

While all of this was happening across the island, Team Cana and Team Gray were actually doing pretty well against the dark mage thugs that had decided to take them on.

"You know this is way to easy," Lucy said, whipping a soldier down to the ground, "I thought Grimoire Heart was one of the most infamous dark guilds in the continent."

"You're right on both accounts," Loke said, "These can't be the best they've got." As if on cue, all the thugs suddenly flashed away.

"Where'd…," Gray couldn't finish his question, as he got this answer rather quickly.

"I'm not inclined to spend copious amounts of time doing battle when there are far more important things to do," Caprico said, as he stood over the group.

"A goat?" Cana asked.

"Who is that guy?" Lucy asked. She couldn't sake off his feeling of familiarity, though.

**(somewhere else on the island)**

Erza and Juvia made very short work of the Grimoire Heart infantry, and were again making their way back to the camp, when their attention was taken by a voice.

"Enemy encountered," Meredy said, as she approached them.

"She's just a kid," Juvia said.

"If there's one thing I've learned in my time, its never sell kids short," Erza said, bringing up sword.

"Commencing termination," Meredy hissed.

**(somewhere else on the island)**

Elfman and Evergreen had been walking about in their attempt to find the other guild members, when they suddenly came across probably the last person they would want to get into a fight with.

"So the fairies and the demons come together?" Rustyrose asked dramatically as he appeared before the guild members.

"Who the hell is this guy?" Elfman said as he and Evergreen sweat dropped.

**(at the Grimoire Heart ship)**

Hades sat on his throne, in complete silence, his eye closed. Then it slowly opened, and he smiled.

"Mavis." The ethereal blonde was floating over him, a hard look on her face. Hades chuckled.

"Those eyes," he said, "Still quite possibly the hardest, most disapproving eyes I've ever seen."

"'Hades'," Mavis said, "Interesting name you chose for yourself."

"Its a name that connotes fear, and dominance," Hades said. Mavis narrowed his eyes.

"Does Warrod know of this?" she asked.

"Indeed," Hades said with a chuckle, "He and I recently had a duel. Don't worry, he's fine. Neither of his could beat each other." Looking at one of her oldest friends like this made Mavis' stomach turn.

"I'm obviously not going to be able to dissuade you from doing this," she said, "But I believe I deserve an explanation as to why."

"I suppose that's true," Hades said, rising to his feet, and walking across the deck, Mavis' eyes following him, "You know I've always been one for knowledge."

"So you translated the search for knowledge into resorting to diving in darkness?" Mavis asked.

"You know I left stewardship of the guild to Yury's son, yes?" Hades said, "After that, I wandered the world, seeking enlightenment. And I found it." He then spread his arms, looking over the island.

"The true essence of magic is darkness," he said, "It is from darkness that magic first sprung. So I decided to shift through that darkness, and find that answer. And in the process, I found the one who can give those answers, and give that one magic all seek."

"Zeref," Mavis whispered.

"So you know?" Hades said, looking at her.

"Far better than you could ever hope," Mavis said.

"Is that so?" Hades said, folding his arms, "What else do you know?"

"You seek to use that one magic to create a 'true world of magic'," Mavis said, "A world you wish for Zeref to rule."

"Even after all these years, your mind has not dulled. I should've expected nothing less."

"You make many claims about Zeref," Mavis said, "But you clearly don't have any true understanding about how he truly is."

"And you do?" Mavis was silent for a time, taking a breath.

"More than you could imagine," she said, "He's not the fiend you want him to be. He's only a monster because people like you make him into one." Hades listened to Mavis' explanation of Zeref, as he smirked.

"The way you talk its as if you're in love with him," he said with a sneer. The sneer bounced right off Mavis, who just glared at Hades, and while he didn't show it, he felt it. That glare was somehow one of the most intimidating things Hades had ever witnessed, and that wasn't a long list.

"If only you knew. If only you knew," she said. With that, the astral girl faded away. Hades took a breath, as he rubbed his temple.

"That girl isn't human," he muttered.

**(with Zeref)**

Zeref was sitting against a tree, watching a waterfall, when he noticed Mavis lying against his shoulder.

"How'd it go?" he asked.

"Just as I thought it would," Mavis said, "They're here for you."

"The 'world of magic', again," Zeref said with a sigh, "I wonder how many orders have come and gone in the name of such an idea?"

"Its not your fault," Mavis said, "Its their's."

"Why doesn't that give me any solace?"

**(with Natsu and Wendy)**

With a gasp, Natsu sat up.

"Natsu!" Wendy said happily, "You're awake!"

"Natsu!" Happy cried out as he jumped into Natsu's chest. On reflex, Natsu reached up to hold him, only to take notice of his scaled wing arm.

"The hell's this?" he asked, flexing his claws, and looking over his wing. It was the exact same wing he got when he assumed Dragon Aspect, though it was limited to only his one arm, and he could feel scales going over this face.

"You got that wing while fighting that God Slayer guy," Happy said. Natsu clenched his three fingered claws into a fist, as he looked around, and saw the still unconscious Master.

"Old man!" he cried out, lunging over to him.

"Be careful!" Carla said, "You'll reopen your wounds!"

"He's alright," Wendy said, "He's unconscious for now though." Natsu's chest lit up like a furnace, as did his eyes. He then sniffed the air. There were so many different scents that it was hard to pick one out, but one scent he could, was the smell from Galuna Island.

"That's all the motivation I need," he muttered. With that, he took off in the direction of the scent.

"Natsu!" Happy cried as he flew after him.

"Where're you going?" Wendy called out.

"To find these trespassing bastards!" Natsu answered, "Take care of the old fart!" Wendy cringed, as she watched her brother run away. She could only hope that nothing bad came of this, but knowing past experiences, that wasn't particularly likely.

**Note: Since a number of the fights will proceed as canon, I'm going to omit from showing them in the story. I'm not entirely sure which one's since you never know what I'll come with, but you can count on at least the Juvia and Meredy fight being omitted, and probably the Ultear and Gray fight. They're still going to happen, just not on screen, because they're going to happen just as they do in canon. In addition, I opted to swap out the explanation that Rustyrose gave Elfman and Evergreen with a conversation between Mavis and Hades.**

**Some fights will be expanded upon. One fight I'm definitely going to show though is Lucy and Natsu fighting Kain.**

**Be sure to review.**


	78. Daughter of Layla

_**Daughter of Layla**_

The combination of fighting Azuma and Zancrow, coupled with healing both Natsu and Makarov, had left Wendy more than slightly drained. She panted heavily.

"Stop using up your energy like that," Makarov said, "You're going to need it in this upcoming battle."

"You need to lead us," Wendy said firmly, "We can't lose you now." Makarov chuckled slightly.

"You know for just being Natsu's adopted sister, you act quite a bit like him," he said.

"Now there's a scary thought," Carla muttered. Makarov was going to speak again, before stopping, and glancing to the side.

"Stop lurking around Mest, just show yourself." Wendy and the Exceeds looked up, and saw Mest appearing before them.

"You!" Pantherlily and Carla snapped at the same time. Mest looked to the side in shame.

"Mest," Wendy said softly. Makarov looked at Mest.

"What do you have to report?" he asked.

"There were survivors from the blast," Mest explained, "They're regrouping for the next move."

"What do you guess that would be?" Makarov asked.

"A this point, I honestly don't know," Mest said.

"What's going on here?" Carla demanded, "He's a spy for the Magic Council!"

"If I had any magic power left…," Pantherlily growled.

"Cool it, all of you," Makarov said, causing everyone to look at him, "This man is not who you think he is. He's a member of Fairy Tail."

"He was lying to get dirt on Fairy Tail so that the Magic Council could disband Fairy Tail!" Carla said angrily.

"Ever hear of a double agent?" Makarov asked, "Because you're looking at one." All eyes were then immediately on Mest, who was staring at the ground.

"You mean…," Pantherlily began.

"He used his Memory alteration powers to infiltrate the Council," the Master explained, "He became the guild's ears inside of it."

"When the Council told me to use my powers to infiltrate the guild, I wasn't really left with a choice," Mest explained.

"Mest," Wendy said softly.

"I'd understand if you won't want to trust me," Mest said, not looking at Wendy, "Especially after I said all those horrible things."

"Its okay," Wendy said, smiling gently. Mest looked at her in surprise.

"But…"

"You were merely doing your job as a guild member," Wendy said, "I can't hold grudges for something like that." Mest, still looked away, in shame.

"You'll have to feel sorry for yourself later," Makarov said, "You've still got a job to do." Mest took a breath, before nodding.

"Yes Master," he said. Mest then looked at Wendy.

"I really am sorry, Wendy," he said, "But I would understand if…"

"Don't worry about it," Wendy said with a slight smile. With that, Mest nodded, and teleported away.

"You're too forgiving child," Carla said, frowning at Wendy, "He lied, and insulted the guild."

"We can't be acting like this at a time like now," Wendy said, "We've got to stand united."

"Couldn't have said it better myself," Makarov said.

**(in the Council wreckage)**

There were survivors from Azuma's attack, and they were gathered on the few ships that were still afloat. Among them was Lahar, as he did his best to reestablish himself.

"Tend to the wounded, first!" he instructed, "We'll decide our next move then!"

"Yes sir!" Right then, Mest flashed onto the ship.

"Doranbalt!" Lahar said, "What's going on here?" Mest struggled not to roll his eyes at that name. The Master had chosen it for him for reasons the spy didn't really know.

"Its a long story," Mest answered said, getting into character, "How's everyone here?"

"Most people made it," Lahar said, "But we did lose a couple good men. If nothing else we've still go the communication lacrima."

"That's good," Mest said.

"So just what the hell happened on that rock?" Lahar asked.

"As if Fairy Tail wasn't enough, we've now got Grimoire Heart," Mest explained, "And I even overhead talk about Zeref. Seems we've got something going big down on Tenrou Island." Lahar narrowed his eyes at this.

"Three of the greatest instigators of chaos in the magic world, all in one spot?" he muttered. Mest took great offense at that. Fairy Tail caused trouble, yes, but to equate them with Grimoire Heart, let alone Zeref?

"The Chairman won't tolerate any evil in any form," Lahar said slowly, "The Light of Justice may fall over this island." Mest whirled around at that.

"You mean Etherion?" he demanded.

"If they decide that, yes."

"That's outrageous!" Mest snapped, "You can't lump Fairy Tail with a dark guild!"

"Its not our decision," Lahar said.

"Why not thinking for yourself for a change, instead of just following like some sheep?" Mets demanded.

"Know your place, Doranbalt!" Lahar snapped right back. Mest took a step back, clenching his fists. He needed to maintain the facade for the time, but he needed to get away, and warn the Master about what was going on. But he couldn't get away now, without raising suspicion.

**(with Lucy, Cana, Gray and Loke)**

Caprico had just completed his speech about the World of Magic, and they didn't like the sound of it.

"So creating a world where only mages can live?" Lucy asked.

"That's just plain twisted!" Cana said.

"I'll admit I'm not sure about it myself," Caprico said, "But I believe that once I see it, I will understand it." He then jumped down to the level of the others.

"Once we get a hold of Zeref," he continued, "We will be able to complete the plan."

"That's a crap reason for ransacking our island!" Zeref said, putting his hands together.

"Admittedly, there is another reason," Capricorn said, as he took a battle stance, "To destroy Fairy Tail." The Fairy Tail mages got ready to fight, only for Loke to hold up his hand.

"Let me take this guy," he said, "Don't forget, this guy's just one of seven. You need to go deal with the others."

"You kidding?" Gray said, "We can't let you fight him alone."

"You need to," Loke said, "This guy uses a very old kind of magic called 'Human Subordination Magic'. He can call on the battle prowess of other humans." Loke then transformed into his Celestial Spirit form.

"And since I'm a Celestial Spirit, his magic doesn't affect me," he said, "And I bet you can notice that he's the same."

"What?!" both Cana and Gray said together. But Lucy didn't say anything. Now she knew where she recognized this figure.

"Capricorn, the Goat," she whispered.

"Its been a long time, Leo," Caprico said.

"Please go," Loke said, "Let me handle this."

"We can't!" Lucy said.

"We've got to trust him," Cana said, putting a hand on her partner's shoulder.

"Now let's go!" Gray said, as he and Cana started to go.

"No!" Lucy said, "If its my spirit…"

"Just go!" Loke snapped.

"NO!"Everyone looked at Lucy in surprise. It was rare for the girl to snap like that.

"I refuse to run like this!" she declared, "I'm a Celestial Spirit Mage! It would betray everything I stand for! So whether you like it or not, I'm staying!" Loke stared at Lucy in surprise, before smiling slightly.

"That girl…," Caprico whispered.

"You're insufferable," Loke said, before turning to face Caprico," Fine then, but just know that if anything happens to you under my watch, Natsu will completely incinerate me."

"Nah, I think he'll do worse," Lucy joked, pulling out her whip. With a sharp grin, Loke held up his arm.

"Regulus, give me strength!" he said. With that, he sprung at Caprico, and before the goat man could react, he was slammed in the gut, and knocked away. But the goat man quickly responded, by kneeing Loke in the gut. Lucy responded just as quickly, striking at Caprico with her whip, causing him to fall back.

"Its been 17 years since you left the Celestial Spirit World," Loke said as Lucy helped him up, "How are you still even here? You have to have a master somewhere."

"I don't serve a master," Caprico said, "I myself am the master! Humans do my bidding!" He then waved his finger through the hair.

"Open, Gate of the Hero of Rubengard: San Jao Shin!" A man dressed in a green robe, and a long black teared glaring a guan dao suddenly flashed into form, and struck at Loke.

"Loke!" Lucy cried, before she was quickly kicked away by Caprico.

**(somewhere on the island)**

"My Lucy Senses are tingling!"

**(with Lucy and Loke)**

"Just who is this guy?" Loke said.

"He was a general in the Rubengard resistance army," Caprico said, "According to 'official' records, he's missing in action. And now he serves me." He looked at Lucy, who rose to her feet.

"And now…" Caprico then held up his hands.

"Lucy!" Loke cried, as he tried to go to help, only for the summoned human to restrain him. Lucy suddenly started hovering into the air, glowing.

"I call upon the powers of old," Caprico spoke, "Bind this human to my will. Let her be enchained by my words, and commanded by strength." Lucy let out a cry, as she felt magic chains wrapping around her wrists.

"You belong to me now," Caprico said darkly.

"LUCY!" Then all of a sudden, Lucy's body began to glow a brilliant gold. The glow overtook the purple glow of Caprico's chains, and eventually they shattered.

"What?" Caprico said, legitimately surprised. Lucy fell to the ground, looking at herself.

"I'm… okay?" she asked.

"Just who is this girl?" Caprico asked.

"She's…"

"I'm Lucy Heartfilia!" Lucy declared jumping to her feet, "I'm a mage of Fairy Tail! I won't ever be forced to serve someone like you!" Caprico looked closely at Lucy, before a sudden realization came over him. _He noticed it _Loke said, cringing.

"You're Layla Heartfilia's daughter!" Caprico snapped. Lucy blinked.

"You knew my mother?" Lucy asked. Caprico then began to nearly froth at the mouth.

"I'm going to rip you to pieces!" Caprico roared.

**Note: Out of hopes of expanding the story, and differing things from canon more, I'm trying to include Lucy in on this fight. Hopefully I can see more of this in future. I'd love other suggestions to deviate from canon.**

**Funny thing, something I noticed on the Fairy Tail tropes page, was the accusation of "Protagonist Centered Morality" with the Magic Council. There are several problems with that; the old Council may have been relatively evenhanded, and were willing to tolerate Fairy Tail's antics. But this other Council took issue with the fact that Fairy Tail helped take down Oracion Seis without their permission, seriously. How can anyone defend the Council with that?**

**Be sure to review.**


	79. Star Dress

_**Star Dress**_

Lucy instinctively took a step back. The rage that Caprico had just exploded with was more than slightly intense. It sounded like this guy and her mother had some kind of history together. But if there was, Lucy didn't know. As far as she knew, her mother and always been very respectively and kind to Celestial Spirits, it wouldn't make sense for one of them to have this much blind rage.

"Uh, I don't think I ever met you," Lucy said. Her Mother had told her about Capricorn, but not where the key was, or her past with the spirit.

"Your Mother admittedly didn't really screw me over the way it might sound," Caprico explained, "But you wouldn't understand! You have to die!" He then clapped his hands, as a couple of knights suddenly flashed into form, and launched at Lucy.

"Lucy!" Loke cried, as he sprung at her. Lucy just managed to jump out of the way of harm, as Loke blasted the enemies away.

"You can't escape me!" Caprico snapped, "Open, Gate of the Hunter of Belparaso: Samagui!" A man with a bow and arrow clad in hunter garb appeared, and notched an arrow and fired. Loke managed to block the arrows with his Regulus.

"No way I'm going to let you do that!" he said. Determined not to let Loke fight alone, Lucy held up her whip.

"I'm here too!" she declared, striking at Caprico, who caught the whip easily, and pulled Lucy over to him.

"Got you!" Caprico hissed. He then held up his fist, only for Loke to punch him in the stomach, and send him careening away. Caprico quickly recovered, and charged Loke again. The two began to parry each others blows, neither one fully able to get the upper hand. Loke would try to use Regulus, but he wasn't able to concentrate enough to do it.

During all of this, Lucy couldn't help but feel frustrated. She had stayed with Loke so as to her support him like a good Celestial Spirit Mage. As she weakly got up, using some ruins as support, she ground her teeth. Despite the personal vow she made during the stint with Oracion Seis, she hadn't been able to fulfill it, and fight alongside Natsu, instead of just letting him protect her. True she had been pregnant, but she had heard of mages who had went on missions while pregnant before, hell, in one Sorcerer Weekly edition, she read about a situation where a woman pregnant with triplets once slew a herd of vulcans. She was broken form her thoughts as her attention was pulled back to the fight between spirits.

"What are you doing, Capricorn?" Loke demanded, "I heard from Crux that you were indeed contracted to Layla. And now that Layla's passed away, your key should've fallen to Lucy!"

"I never knew of any contract," Lucy said, "What happened here?" Caprico clenched his fists, and began to shake slightly.

"Taboo," he finally said.

"Taboo?" Lucy echoed.

"There are rules in magic, both spoken and unspoken," Caprico explained, "And since I broke one of these taboos, here we stand. I'm a goat!"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Loke said, "This doesn't make any sense."

"I sorely miss being human," Caprico said, "Looking back, this is a great opportunity to amend the problem."

"'Being human'? 'Amending the problem'?" Lucy said, "Just what the hell's going on?"

"You'll see soon enough!" Caprico said, holding up his hands, "Though I'm surprised your mom never mentioned me."

"Will you just answer already?" Lucy said.

"Again, you'll see soon enough," Caprico said, as he began to irradiate a dark aura. Loke quickly retreated back to Lucy.

"I've got a seriously bad feeling about where this is going," he said.

"What's he doing?"

"I'm not completely sure," Loke said, "But if what I think he's trying to do what I think he is, it might put both me and Capricorn out of commission."

"So what do we do?" Lucy asked, trying her best to keep her cool.

"I've got an idea," Loke said, "I'll admit its not likely to work perfectly, if at all, but seeing as we're Fairy Tail members, its not like we haven't done crazier."

"What is it?" Loke cringed, as he watched Caprico continue to stream with dark energy.

"There's an advanced for Celestial Spirit Magic, that can impart some of the spirit's to the summoner," he explained, "Normally only the Celestial Spirit King can fully impart the ability to someone, but it is possible for the summoned to give a more limited form of it. If it works though, you're strength would skyrocket for a time." Lucy listened to this, amazed at the sound of it. If it was true, then she could very possible be looking at the chance she had long wanted.

"Do it!" she said firmly.

"Are you sure?"

"I'm not going to sit on the side lines as my friends do my fighting for me," Lucy said, "I'm not going to be the one to tell Haru that his mother just ran and hid when an enemy comes. Do it!" Loke looked at her in silence, before taken ga breath, and put a hand on Lucy's breast.

*Smack

"Its part of the process," Loke tried to explain, rubbing his now crimson cheek.

"Oh yeah! How many girls have you tried to use this bit on?" Lucy said angrily.

"You think I'm so stupid as to try and grope you, with Natsu on the same landmass?" Loke said, "Trust me, this is part of it." Lucy didn't want to believe him, seeing as Natsu would probably complete obliterate Loke if he knew this was going on. But seeing Caprico apparently completing his preparations, Lucy figured she didn't have any choices.

"I'll tell you when I tell Natsu, so you can lay low for some time," Lucy said. With that, she gestured, and Loke pressed his hand to over Lucy's breast, and all of a sudden, Lucy began to glow.

"Too late, Leo!" Caprico said, as he sprung at Loke, tackling him away from Lucy, who remained still. Pinning Loke to the ground, Caprico held up his hand.

"Human Subordination: Humaraise!" he said.

"You know that doesn't work on me!" Loke said.

"Again, its taboo!" Caprico explained, "But it should be said that those who aren't subjugated…" A shadow then appeared over Caprico.

"Fuse!"

"Wait! Your a human in Capricorn's body?" Loke asked.

"My name is Zoldeo!" the shadow, opposed to Caprico, said, "And now I'm going to get out of this stinking goat!" With that, the shadow struck at Loke, and seemed to ask into him. Caprico collapsed to the ground, unconscious. Loke then seemed to rise to his feet, cracking his neck.

"At long last I've got a human body again," Loke, no, _Zoldeo_ said, "I'm Leo, and I'm contracted to Lucy." He then grinned.

"All I need to do is kill her, and…." Suddenly, Zoldeo was kicked in the side, and sent careening into the rubble. He looked up in shock.

"Sorry to have to do this, Loke. But you'll probably thank me later." Lucy was now eating a black dress, with a sash around her waist. Her hair was tied up in a bun, and she had black shoes. On her breast, where Loke had put his hand, was the symbol of Leo.

"That's…," Zoldeo stuttered, "Star Dress!"

"So that's what its called?" Lucy said, as she looked over the dress, "This is pretty cool." She then smiled, and clenched her fists.

"I certainly feel tougher!" With that, she sprung at Zoldeo again, who tried to block, only to be punched in the stomach, and smashed right through the rubble he was laying in.

"This is awesome!" Lucy declared. She then looked at her hand.

"I wonder…" She then concentrated on her hand, and all of a sudden it lit up. It was the power of Regulus. She then grabbed Zoldeo by the collar, and heaved him into the air.

"Time to make like my landlady, and _eject you_!" Lucy said, a line she'd come to regret in hindsight (it sounded like good in the moment), "Regulus Lucy Punch!" She then sacked him in the stomach, creating a beam of light that pierced straight through the . Zoldeo let out a scream of pain, as the same shadow from before was spat out through the beam of light. The shadow then concealed into a man with long, messy black hair, and cuts going up his mouth. Meanwhile, Loke's body faded away, back into the Celestial Spirit world.

"So you're Zoldeo?" she asked, putting her hands on her hips. Zoldeo looked around, and at his hands.

"I'm… I'm back!" he said happily, "Finally I'm…" He was silenced when Lucy lifted it him by his leg, holding him upside down.

"Maybe I should go get my boyfriend," she said, "Give him something to cook!"

"Wa… wait Ms Lucy!" Zoldeo said, waving his hands, "Let's talk this over!"

"Why?" Lucy asked, glaring at him, "You possessed two of my friends. What should I be doing?"

"You…," Zoldeo stopped, as he began to feel strange. To Lucy's shock, and Zoldeo's horror. The dark mage began to fade away.

"No!" he cried, "Please! I don't want to disappear! I don't want…" He then completely seemed to vanish in Lucy's grip. The blonde let out a gasp.

"Its finally over," she said. With that, she started to fall over, only to be caught. Lucy looked up, and saw… Caprico holing her.

"Forgive me for these previous trespasses, Ms. Lucy," he said, in a far more respectful tone, "This is a terrible shame."

"Don't worry about it, Capricorn," Lucy answered with a smile, "Not your fault."

"It quite possibly is," Capricorn said, "You see, 20 years ago, your mother, Ms. Layla had to retire from magic. As a result, Aquarius, Cancer, and myself were passed on to three of Layla's most trusted servants. Zoldeo was among them; all three keys were to be passed to you when you came of age. Zoldeo initially followed the promise, but he slowly became consumed by darkness." He then looked at Lucy, and smiled at her.

"You truly are Layla's daughter," he said, "I will be nothing if not happy to serve you as I was always meant to." Lucy smiled right back.

"Right back at you!" she said. With that, Capricorn faded away, and a golden key materialized itself on Lucy's key chain. She looked at it and smiled, and then also looked at Loke's key.

"Gray's going to be pissed," she said.

**(somewhere else on the island)**

"Why do I suddenly feel completely screwed over?" Gray asked.

"Never mind that," Cana said, "I just hope Lucy's alright."

"Even if she and Loke can't take that goat guy, Natsu's probably out looking for her anyway," Gray said, "Don't worry, she'll definitely be fine." Cana made a face. So much for their partnership; she should've stayed back with her and helped. But what's done was done, and the brown-haired girl couldn't stop now.

"We should split up," she said, "Spread out and see if we can find the others. Natsu's probably looking for now, anyway."

"Really?" Gray asked, "Shouldn't we be sticking together?"

"We'll cover more grown quicker if we split up," Cana said. Gray didn't like it, but figured that it wouldn't hurt to find the others, especially in a time like this.

"Alright, be safe!" With that, the Ice Mage dove into the forest. Cana watched as he did, before taking a breath.

"Sorry Gray," she said, "But I won't ever get this far again. I've got to finish." With that, she started running down the path she remembered Lucy telling her.

**Note: So as to give Lucy more fighting capability, I decided to give her Star Dress earlier. It should be noted that this is not the perfect version.**

**Sorry about how short this chapter was, but I figured that this chapter should be predominantly about the fight. As I said in previous chapters, for the sake of moving this forward, and not just recycling canon, I won't be showing certain fights, namely Juvia vs Meredy, and in all likelihood, Gray and Ultear. Unless someone can give me some ideas to alter them.**

**Be sure to review.**


	80. Witching Hour

_**Witching Hour**_

Natsu was trying to make his way through the forest, only to find that his wing arm was getting in the way. It would get caught in branches, or catch air and slow him down. It was getting really annoying, but despite his best efforts, he couldn't make the wing go away.

"Damn it!" he cried.

"Natsu, wait up!" Happy cried, as he flew after his friend. Natsu was looking for Lucy; in a time like this, he had to know where she was, or he'd probably lose his mind. The Dragon Slayer was tempted to assuming Dragon Aspect, and just fly around looking for her, but knew it had to be saved for the time. So for now, Natsu would look the old fashioned way: with his eyes and nose.

Meanwhile, sitting on a branch, Mavis and Zeref watched Natsu and Happy move past, away from their gaze. Mavis was in Zeref's lap.

"So that's him?" she asked.

"It is." Mavis looked at Natsu carefully.

"I can see it," she eventually said," You must be proud."

"I am," Zeref answered, smiling as he watched Natsu run past.

"I'll admit, I'm tempted to help them," Mavis said, "It is my guild after all."

"This is their fight," Zeref said, "Who are we to take that from them?"

**(somewhere else)**

Ultear was sitting against a tree, staring at the sky. Generally, she prized herself as being of great clarity; she knew what her goals were, and she acted upon them. But for the first time in as long as she could remember, she was questioning everything. This Mavis girl (though Ultear had a feeling that "girl" was substantially older than her), had somehow gotten under Ultear's skin, something very few people were capable of, and the black haired woman didn't like it.

Hearing someone approaching, she stood up. Out of the bushes, stumbled Natsu, landing face down.

"Damn this wing!" he snapped. Ultear looked closer, and took notice large scaled wing in place of his arm. Natsu then looked up, and saw Ultear.

"Who are you?" he asked. Ultear was silent as she glared at Nastu. She remembered him from Galuna Island. It took over a week for that welt on her face to go away.

"Natsu!" Happy said as he fluttered through the bushes, and then saw Ultear, "Who's that?"

"You aren't in Fairy Tail," Natsu said, as he took a battle stance (or best he could with his wing), "So that means you from Grimoire Heart."

"How observant," Ultear said, rolling her eyes slightly. Natsu sniffed the air, as something came to him.

"I know your smell!" he said, "You're that guy from Galuna Island!"

"Yes, that was me," Ultear said, putting her hands on her hips, "What about it?" Natsu then paused, as he rubbed his chin with his claws.

"But that was a guy, then," he muttered, "So if you're a guy…" Ultear was going to correct him, but then Natsu came to a "realization".

"You're a crossdresser!" he declared, pointing. Ultear's jaw dropped, as her eye twitched.

"I'm not a crossdresser!" Ultear snapped, "I'm a woman! I've always been a woman!"

"But then…"

"I used magic to disguise myself as a man," Ultear explained, "I was looking for keys, so I used Lyon to manipulate Deliora and…"

"So you _are_ a crossdresser?"

"I'm not!" Ultear declared, shaking with anger. She didn't know why she was acting like this, normally she had more control over her emotions.

"But you dressed and made yourself look like a guy, right?"

"Yes.. but… I…," Ultear shook her head, "It doesn't matter! I can't let you get in my way!" She then pointed at Natsu.

"Arc of Time!" she spoke.

"Natsu! The ground!" Happy said. Natsu looked down, and noticed something staring to emerge from the ground. Within an instant, a fully grown tree erupted out from under Natsu's feet.

"Where the hell did that tree come from?" Natsu demanded.

"It as always there," Ultear answered, "It used to be just a tiny sprout. But I pushed it forward." A sphere then appeared, hovering over Ultear's open hand. Natsu knew that sphere.

"I am the one who bends time to my will, I'm Ultear Milkovich, I'm the leader of the Seven Kin of Purgatory."

"I don't care," Natsu said, "The only thing I care about is getting you off this island."

"Oh, I won't be able to do that," Ultear answered, "Not until I have…." She paused for an instance.

"Until I have Zeref." That pause frightened her. It shouldn't have been there.

"Zeref?" Natsu asked.

"I think Zeref was around a long time ago," Happy said.

"I won't leave until he's in my grasp," Ultear said.

"I couldn't care less about some old story about some ancient dark mage," Natsu said, "You invaded our island! And now you're keeping me from my son! Now unless you take a hike, I'm going to have to incinerate you!" His chest lit up in demonstration.

"Quite the talker, aren't you?" Ultear sneered, "Well, no matter. You'll be dealt with in short order." She then waved her hand, and the orb floated up to Natsu.

"You think one little ball's going to be able to stop me?" Natsu asked.

"Of course not, so its a good thing I have more than one," Ultear answered. She then waved her hand, and suddenly, the one orb seemed to multiply into countless other ones.

"The hell's this?" Natsu said.

"The future, or perhaps more accurately, futures," Ultear answered, "They all represent potential possibilities. But all these possibilities have one destiny. And that possibility, is you." She then snapped her fingers. Within an instant, all the orbs began pummeling Natsu, as he cried out.

"Natsu!" Happy cried. The Dragon Slayer tumbled to the ground, before getting back up, his eyes and chest glowing.

"You're an enduring man," Ultear said, "But it doesn't matter. Not in the least."

**(at Fairy Tail base camp)**

"This is my fault," Lisanna said, "I wasn't strong enough."

"Don't beat yourself up," Gajeel said, "If I had been stronger…"

"You only barely won your fight," Levy said, "Its not your fault either."

"Its not anyone's fault." The group looked over, and to their horror, saw Elfman approaching them. He was carrying an unconscious Evergreen.

"Elfman!" Lisanna cried.

"These guys are strong," Elfman forced out, as he came forward, "Way too strong." As she watched Elfman gently lay Evergreen on the ground, Levy clenched her fists. She looked at all her friends, beaten and shamed.

"Its not over yet," she said firmly.

"Levy," Lisanna said softly.

"If there's one thing this guid has taught me, its that as long as we stand together, we can't lose," Levy said, before taking in a breath, "So I won't give up! I won't let Grimoire Heart get its way!" Everyone looked at her in silence.

**(with Cana)**

Cana had been making her way forward. Since they got interrupted by Grimoire Heart, Lucy couldn't finish the explanation as to the way to get to the grave. She largely had to guess at this point. Taking a breath, Cana sat down, and looked up.

"I'm probably just talking to thin air," she said, "But if you're there, Mavis. Can you please help me?"

Unbeknownst to her, though, Mavis was floating over her, looking at Cana carefully. There were aspects of this girl, that reminded Mavis of another. One from the past… She then floated down behind Cana, and Mavis whispered one word. Cana then jerked up. In an instant, she knew where to go. Not bothering to ponder about it, she ran down the path. Mavis just smiled.

**(with Lucy)**

Despite her dress, Lucy didn't have much trouble running in it. If anything, running was easier in this dress, as she could run far faster. Lucy was looking for any of her fellow guild members, no one in particular, but admittedly she would've been very happy to find Natsu.

"I wonder if Natsu will like this dress," she mused to herself. Maybe this would be the dress she could get married in. Would certainly be easier than buying a new one. The thought made the blonde blushed. She didn't know why, considering how she now and a son with Natsu. But something about marrying him…. just made her feel strange. The girl eventually stopped, and pondered to think.

"Now, where would they be?" she asked herself. She knew here the base camp was, but she wasn't so sure where she was in relation to it. Knowing Natsu, at this point, he may have been looking for her, but Lucy couldn't wait for him to come find her. She needed to take action herself. Then, all of a sudden, Lucy could hear the sound of rustling.

"Whose there?" Lucy demanded, turning, and clenching her fists. At first there was no response, but then Lucy saw what looked like a man hiding by the tree. He had pale skin, and black bushy hair. He peaked out nervously.

"If… if you think acting tough will make go away, you're wrong!" the man said, "I… I… I'm one of the Seven Kin, Kain Hikaru. I'm really strong!" Lucy looked over this guy, and took a fighting stance.

"I already took on one of you guys, and won!" Lucy declared, "Let's go!" She got ready to fight, as Kain finally made his way out.

"Alright then!" he said, fishing in his clothes, "Let me show my Witching Hour Curse Magic! And with it I'll beat you!"

"Can't say I heard of it," Lucy said. Eventually, Kain pulled out a small rag doll.

"This is Mr Cursey! Now can I have a strand of your hair?" he asked. Lucy paused, blinking.

"Come again?"

"I need your hair so that I can curse and beat you," Kain explained.

"My hair?" Lucy asked.

"You see, with the Witching Hour Curse, after I put your hair on Mr Cursey, then I can control you," Kain explained, "So can I have your hair?"

"You think that's going to make me give you my hair?" Lucy asked, "Are you just plain stupid?" That got Kain angry, which got Lucy nervous for a time but then…

"Do… Don't think that just because you're saying all those things I'll go out with you!" he forced out.

"Wait, what!" Lucy said, "First of all, I've already got a boyfriend, and second, how do you even get any of that out of what I said?"

"Fine!" Kain said, before pulling out a hair of his own, "Let me show you how my magic works!" He then stuck the hair onto the doll's head, and… handed it to Lucy.

"Go ahead and try it out," Kain said. Lucy just looked at the doll with a blank expression.

"You see…" Kain didn't get a chance to finish, as Lucy slammed the doll's face into the ground. At the same time, Kain got face planted into the ground. Lucy cackled as Kain pried his head out of the ground.

"Hey, what was that…" Lucy pulled the doll's legs apart, causing Kain to do the splits.

"Why are you doing this?!" the dark mage cried out in pain. Lucy put the doll into all sorts of poses, which Kain mimicked exactly, as the blonde laughed.

"Will you cut it out?" Kain snapped, as he was doing yoga poses.

"You know this is pretty fun," Lucy said, "Maybe I'll bring this home. I'm sure my baby will like playing with it." Finally, Kain managed to get free, and snatched the doll from Lucy.

"Alright!" he said, "Now you can really forget asking me out!"

"I already told you I have a boyfriend!" Lucy said, "Hell, didn't you hear me say I've got a baby?"

"Now I've got to finish you!" Kain said, as he put the doll on his belt, "Let's go!" With that, he charged, like a train, going right through the trees as Lucy ran.

"What am I supposed to take from this?!" Lucy cried, as she fled.

**Note: One fight I definitely won't omit is the fight between Kain and Lucy/Natsu. I really like this fight, since it has so much potential for comedy. Next chapter will obviously continue it. Take note "Witching Hour" comes from the English Dub, since the translation of the magic's actual name is "Shrine Visit at the Hour of the Ox", and is based on a Shinto curse. Obviously that's a real mouthful, so I can't put that in.**

**Be sure to review.**


	81. Lucy Fire

_**Lucy Fire**_

Lucy was at a complete loss on what to do. Well, that was entirely accurate. She knew what to _do_, which was run from the crazy fat guy. Her issue was to _think_. This Kain guy defied all logical thinking in the way he acted towards Lucy. So Lucy did the only thing that was logical at this point: run like hell.

Kain was literally barreling through the forest, destroying just about every tree in his way. Its not that Lucy thought she wouldn't have been able to take him if she fought him, especially with her Star Dress, but considering just how crazy he was, Lucy didn't want to take the risk. Lucy fiddled with her key ring, trying to think about what to do in this situation.

"Please don't run away!" Kain literally cried, "Don't you know my feelings!"

"What about 'boyfriend' and 'baby' do you no understand?" Lucy snapped. Seriously, what the hell was with this dope?

"Time to fight dumb muscle with dumb muscle," she declared, holding out a key, "Open Gate of the Golden Bull: Taurus!" Kain stopped instinctively. And…

Nothing happened.

Lucy just stared at the key in shock. Kain cocked his head.

"What's s'posed to happen?" he asked.

"Open Gate of the Golden Bull: Taurus!" she said. Again, nothing happened.

"Taurus!" Lucy said, waving the key around, "Taurus! TAURUS! Anything!"

"You know trying to impress me isn't going to make her go easy on you," Kain said.

"You think I'm trying to impress you?" Lucy said, smacking the key in her hand. _Don't tell me I can't use my keys in Star Dress?_ she thought.

"Why didn't Loke tell me about this?!" Lucy cried out loud. She knew it was all too good to be true. But she wasn't going to give up just like that. After a brief time of the two staring at each other, Lucy decided to actually hold her ground this time.

"I'm going to kick your ass!" she declared. True it may have sounded tough, but it was mostly bravado to pump her up.

"Don't get too full of yourself, blondie," Kain said, "I know I may not look it, but I'm seriously strong!" He then held up his doll.

"I'm not going to give you my hair!" Lucy said.

"I don't need it!" Kain said holding up his doll, "Don't underestimate the Witching Hour curse!" Deciding not to let him continue talking, Lucy leapt at him.

"Regulus Strike!" she said, kicking at him, only to see her leg go straight through him, like he was….

"Air!" Kain said, holding up his doll.

"How in the hell…"

"There's a lot more that Mr. Cursey can do!" Kain said, as he floated over Lucy, "If I turn Mr. Cursey into air, then I turn into air!"

"Yeah, I kind of got that," Lucy said, "That's just weird." Kain turned solid again, as he dropped down to the ground.

"Well, I'm not one to give up that easily!" Lucy declared, as she charged at Kain again, "Regulus Lucy Kick!" She did her trademark strike, which collided with Kain. Lucy let out a cry as she stumbled back, holding her aching leg.

"I can do a lot more than air!" Kain said, his body now made of glittering diamonds "I can turn Mr. Cursey into pretty much everything! Including diamonds! Nothing can break diamonds!"

"Ah crap," Lucy said, as she rose to her feet again. Her foot didn't feel broken, but it certainly wasn't good to keep working like that. She knew she couldn't fight this guy as things were. So Lucy went back to original plan. She turned on her heels, and high tailed it.

"Wait, are we chasing again?" Kain asked. Seeing Lucy gaining more ground, he chased after her again. Lucy's foot was wearing her down slightly, but fortunately she still had just enough speed to keep out of Kain's grab.

"Just for the record!" Lucy called back, "This is the most bizarre fight I've ever been in!"

**(with Natsu)**

Natsu's fight with Ultear wasn't going that well. Admittedly, Natsu wasn't at his best at the time. Normally he had no problem moving around with his wings, but that was when he had both of them in use. Having one wing arm and one regular arm made things a lot harder.

"I'll admit this isn't like a normal fight," Ultear said, balancing her orb on her fingertip, "But there's no way you really think you can beat me. I'm not even going all out seeing as I do owe you for Galuna Island."

"Keep talking lady," Natsu said igniting his fist, "I'm going to kick your ass just like I did there!" With that, he launched at Ultear, punching forward.

*SLAM

A slightly charred Kain was sent tumbling away. Lucy paused, as she stopped running, and looked over.

"Natsu!" she cried happily.

"Lucy!" Natsu said, as sprung at Lucy, and heaved her up in his arms, "Thank the gods you're alright!" As he put her down, he noticed her new outfit.

"Do you like it?" Lucy asked, doing a slight twirl.

"Hell yeah I do!" Natsu declared, as he pulled the mother of his son over to him, and pressed his forehead against her own. Lucy smiled, but then noticed Natsu's wing.

"Your arm…," she said, running her hand over it.

"I'll explain later," Natsu said, "I've got a crossdresser to fight!" Meanwhile, Ultear walked over to her fallen guild mate.

"On your feet, Kain!" Ultear ordered, as she kicked him in the rear, "Care to tell me what you're doing here?"

"I was chasing that blonde!" Kain said as he got up, pointing at Lucy.

"Are you fighting that girl?" Lucy asked.

"Yeah," Natsu answered, "But it ain't easy with this wing."

"I thought that Dragon Aspect gave you two wings, and a tail," Lucy said.

"That's not Dragon Aspect," Happy said, "He was fighting this other guy and now he's got a wing."

"I'l figure it out later," Natsu said, "But we've got to deal with this bastards." He then grinned at his girlfriend.

"Sooner we're done with these guys, the sooner we'll be back for Haru," he said, "So let's form a team." Lucy was surprised for a moment, but smiled back at him.

"Why not?" she said. With that, Natsu's chest lit up, and Lucy's fists started glowing with Regulus energy, as Happy jumped up, pumping his paw.

"We're all fired up now!" all three declared.

"Why are they so damn flirty and sexy?!' Kain jabbered while Ultear just glared, "This is pissing me off! Just leave, Ultear! I'll handle these punks!"

"You can't do that!" Natsu declared, "This was supposed to be 2 on 2!"

"I ain't complaining," Lucy said.

"What about me!" Happy chirped.

"Fine then," Ultear said, "I've got to find Lord Zeref anyway." She decided to omit her previous encounter with the Black Mage, and the First Fairy, and headed out.

"No way!" Lucy declared, "We can't let him take Zeref!" Natsu tried to follow Ultear, but Kain intercepted him, and palmed him in the gut, sending the Dragon Slayer careening away. When Kain tried to strike him again, Natsu managed to leap out of the way this time, after which he slashed at Kain with his claws, though the big guy dodged him relatively easily.

"I'm coming for you Natsu!" Lucy declared, as she leapt at Kain, "Regulus Lucy Kick!" She tried to kick Kain, but was blocked. However, in that moment that Kain was distracted, Natsu struck with his Fire Dragon's Iron Fist, hitting Kain in the side.

"I ain't going to be left out!" Happy declared. With that, he let his claws loose and Kain's face.

"Gah! How are you so strong!" Kain moaned.

"You can't beat us when we're working together!" Lucy said, as she kicked Kain in the face, and before he could be sent flying, Natsu's Fire Dragon's Claw struck him down.

"We're going to win!" Happy declared excitedly. And it seemed like he was right. Natsu and Lucy were landing blow after blow on the dark mage, and showing no signs of slowing down.

"Let's finish this!" Lucy declared, as she charged up her fist to keep fighting. But right as she did that, her Star Dress and power vanished.

There was a moment that everyone just stared at her, as she returned to her normal clothing and hairstyle. Kain used that moment to strike at her again, sending her tumbling away.

"Lucy!" Natsu cried.

"I'm alright!" Lucy said, as she got to her feet. Or at least that was what she thought before she fell back to her knees.

"I'm out of magic power," she said.

"You are?" Kain said, and after a pause declared, "Yes, you are! Now its my turn!" Taking advantage of Natsu's distract, the dark mage then walloped the Dragon Slayer in the face. Natsu skidded to a halt, his talons leaving gashes in the ground

"Natsu!" Happy cried, as he floated down to him. Natsu grunted as he wiped the side of his mouth.

"You bastard," he said.

"Sorry," Kain said, "But I can't waste any time, not while Lord Zeref waits for us."

"We're not going to let you!" Lucy said, as she jumped to her feet, "Just because I don't have magic doesn't…." She then froze dead in her tracks.

"Wh…what?" she forced out.

"What're you doing?" Happy asked, as he floated next to her.

"Wait, don't tell me," Lucy muttered. Kain held up Mr. Cursey, and on its head was a strand of blonde hair.

"A strand of your hair got stuck on me while you were beating me up," Kain explained, "Now its time for revenge!" Lucy immediately feared the worst, before she was suddenly made to do a split.

"YEOW!"

"Now this!" Lucy took a crane yoga pose.

"And this!" She took a pose like a bunny while hopping.

"And this!" She took a sexy pose.

"What are you doing!" Lucy demanded in frustration. Natsu cocked his head.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"Lucy's acting even weirder than usual," Happy said, pointing.

"That damn doll's controlling me, you dolts!" Lucy snapped.

"Now let's get down to business!" Kain said, "Why not going after your boyfriend!" He then swung the doll in Natsu's direction, as Lucy was sent flying towards Natsu. The Dragon Slayer was caught off guard when Lucy crashed into him, wrapping his arms around his torso. Normally Natsu would welcome Lucy hugging him like this, but this sort of hug was different; it hurt, which was strange. Physically speaking, Lucy wasn't that strong of a woman, though Natsu had been making efforts to get her to work out. However, it seemed as if Lucy was now as strong as Edolas Lucy.

"What are you… GAH… doing!" Natsu demanded.

"I told you, that doll's controlling me!" Lucy said, "I can't control my body!"

"Damn it!" Natsu snapped, as he managed to get a hold on her around her arms, "Why can't you be more like this on missions?"

"Stop holding me like this!" Lucy said, "Those scales feel weird!"

"Don't you two get all hot on me now!" Kain snapped, pointing at the two.

"We're not getting out!" Lucy snapped.

"But maybe if we had this doll in…," Natsu began.

"Stow it Dragon Boy!" Lucy snapped.

"Well, it doesn't matter," Kain said, "No one can… MR. CURSEY!" Happy had fluttered away, holding the doll.

"Way to go Happy!" Lucy said.

"Alright little buddy!" Natsu said. Happy looked at the doll, and got an idea.

"Not a good time!" Lucy snapped, as she was suddenly hugging Natsu to her chest, "And those horns hurt!"

"I ain't complaining," Natsu said with a muffled voice.

"Here ya' go Natsu!" Happy said, as he thew the doll at Natsu who quickly caught it with his human hand. He then held up his dragon arm.

"Fire Dragon's Wingbeat!" A gust of fire came at Kain, who in a remarkable display of agility, avoided the attack. He then had to dodge a strike from Kain, and used his wing to move back, as his chest lit up.

"Fire Dragon's Roar!" He let loose his breath weapon, which Kain again managed to avoid. As the two dueled, Lucy, who was still linked to the doll was getting tossed around like nothing.

"Will you be careful!" Lucy snapped. Natsu clenched his sharp teeth, as he skidded to the ground. He needed to change his tactics. As he was thinking he absentmindedly tossed the doll to himself, failing to realize his girlfriend falling up and down.

"Are you even listening to me?!" the blonde shouted. Natsu stopped as he was told, but then an idea popped into him.

"Hey Luce," he said, grinning, "I've got an idea!"

"Why do you have a bad feeling about this?" Lucy said nervously.

"Have I ever steered you wrong?"

"You don't really want an answer do you?"

"It doesn't matter what you do?" Kain said as he charged at Natsu, "You'll never be able to beat…" He was the suddenly struck in the the back of the head by a powerful kick from Lucy.

"How did you/I…," the two mages asked, but then saw Natsu holding up the doll in a kicking gesture.

"I don't know whether to be impressed or appalled," Lucy said. Natsu just smirked, as he then held put the doll's fist, causing Lucy to punch Kain in the face. The big guy turned his attention face her, only to get a fire infused kick in the back, which sent him flying away.

"That gives me another idea!" Natsu declared, as he lit up one of his clawed fingers. It didn't take long for Lucy to put two and two together.

"Wait, please no," she said weakly.

"Come on, it wasn't any hotter than the time…"

"Shut your trap!" Natsu then promptly set fire to the doll's fist. The same thing happened to Lucy's fist, who screamed her head off. Kain then got struck with two fire-infused fists from opposite sides. To Lucy's surprise, it was actually pleasantly warm, like how he felt when she slept beside him on cold nights. It was almost… soothing. But the battle was anything but.

"Alright!" she declared, taking a fighting stance, "Now _I've_ got an idea."

"Lucy's got an idea?" Happy asked as he hovered overhead. But Natsu knew what she meant, as he grinned.

"Since when are you thinking about thing so awesome?" he asked.

"You're rubbing off on me, lover boy," Lucy answered. With that, Natsu ignited the entire doll, as Lucy's body lit up in fire.

"Hey Happy!" Natsu said, as he tossed the doll to his partner, "You got this?"

"Aye sir!" Happy said, as he caught the doll. He then flew up, using Max Speed, which caused Lucy to do the same. At the same time, Natsu leapt into the air, using the wing to boost himself. He then created a big ball of fire, and threw it at Kain.

"That won't work!" Kain said, as he avoided the attack. However, he only just had time to look up and see….

"Dragneel Family Technique…," Natsu and Lucy said together, "LUCY FIRE!" A fire infused Lucy slammed into the Kin of Purgatory, sending him careening through the trees, unconscious. As Happy brought the doll to Natsu, Lucy came over to her boyfriend, who heaved her up.

"You were awesome!" he said, cuddling her.

"Likewise!" Lucy said, doing the same. Happy then looked at the doll.

"I'm keeping this," he declared.

**Note: I'm not sure if that's how Star Dress works, but assumed so based on the fact that when Lucy's in Star Dress, we never see her summon anyone other than the corresponding spirit.**

**I know this was close to canon, but I really liked this fight, and I wanted to include it, especially in a NaLu context.**

**Be sure to review.**

**Now, I generally try to avoid gripes like these, and I know it won't make a difference, but it needs to be said. Its connected with the most recent DeathBattle between Erza and Zoro. If you care enough, stop reading this, go look up the battle, and come back here to continue.**

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**Alright, now I will say that Erza was severely under-represented in this. One of the most important elements of DB is properly representing both fighters, and half of Erza's feats and armors weren't described, like her Nakagami and Wingblade Armor, and her defeat of 100 monsters. Would it have made a difference? I don't know, maybe not, but she deserves to be given full attention to everything she's done and can do, just like Zoro. DB failed to do that in this. **

**On a related note, I looked up the comments on the website, and I noticed all the pro-**_**One Piece**_** comments were up voted, and all the pro-**_**Fairy Tail**_** comments were severely down voted. And people say the FT fandom is toxic.**


	82. Round 2

_**Round 2**_

With Kain blasted away, Natsu, Lucy, and Happy paused to consider their options. There weren't many.

"Why would Zeref be here?" Lucy asked, tapping her finger on her folded arm, "And why would Grimoire Heart be looking for him?"

"Dunno," Natsu said, "What's so special about Zeref anyway?"

"You are aware he is easily one of the top three greatest magic users to have ever lived, right?" Lucy asked, as her leg suddenly shot up. Didn't take her long to realize what was happening, as she chased after Happy, who still had the doll.

"Well, what do we do now?" Natsu asked, rolling his wing arm.

"We look for the others," Lucy said, as she got her revenge on Happy by stretching the doll's limbs, "Can you smell anything?" Natsu sniffed the air briefly. Normally with all the different scents, singling out a few was difficult, but to Natsu's somewhat surprise, he could faintly pick out a few of his comrades.

"I've got Wendy and Carla closest to us," Natsu said, "Erza and Juvia too. Can't pick out anyone else."

"Let's go to Carla!" Happy said, as Lucy finally released him.

"I'm with Happy actually," the blonde said, "Erza and Juvia can take of themselves, but Wendy's already beaten and tired." She also knew she had to find Cana, who she had admittedly ditched after going to fight with Loke. Natsu nodded in agreement; his little sister wasn't in a good way when he took off to find Lucy, and now that Lucy was found, he needed to get back to Wendy.

"What about the Magic Council?" Happy asked, as he took the doll back from Lucy, who was careful this time to make sure none of her hair was in it.

"Yeah, they might be a problem," Lucy said.

"Ya kidding?" Lucy and Happy looked at the Dragon Slayer. They'd heard Natsu hiss before, but this one seemed downright reptilian.

"This is our territory," Natsu said, his draconic hand against a tree, the claws making gashes, "If they think they can push us around here, they've got another thing coming." Lucy wasn't sure what to feel about that statement. However, bringing up the Council made Lucy think of something else.

"Hey, that reminds me of something," she said, "The Council of course came by ship, so how did Grimoire Heart get here?" Natsu and Happy just looked at her blankly. Lucy sighed at that slightly.

"Here's hoping Haru takes after me," she said, before continuing, "They have to have their own ship somewhere. We need to know where they're coming from."

"We'll figure that out after we find the others," Natsu said, "Now let's go!" With that, the trio tore back into the woods.

**(on the beach, in the airship)**

One would think Hades would be frustrated to find out that three of his elite had been defeated, but it was quite the opposite actually. He was actually impressed.

"I have to give it to Makarov, his brats are something to behold," he said with a laugh. He was sitting a dining table, eating his dinner. To the side of the room was a figure cloaked in shadow.

"What are you laughing about?" the figure asked, "This isn't good for us. You need to send me out."

"Be patient, Bluenote," Hades answered, "This isn't your fight yet."

"But I'm getting bored, and boredom's no good for anyone." He then put his hand on the table. The entire ship then sank into the ground. Hades frowned at Bluenote.

"You've made your point," he said, "My decision stands, but I want this new Fairy Tail to come to me. I want to test their metal." Bluenote sat in a chair across from the Master.

"If one more of the Seven goes down, I'm joining the fight," he declared, "Whether you want it or not."

**(with the Magic Council)**

Mest had taken numerous jobs for his guild, some he liked, some he didn't. But this job spying on the Council, he absolutely _hated_. Not because it was hard, but because he had to deal with the superior, pompous attitude from these soldiers, who only protested "wrong" when it didn't benefit them. It didn't help that they insulted Fairy Tail every chance they got. Word had just reached them that Bluenote was present, and they were all understandably frightened.

"We need to get into touch with headquarters," Lahar declared, "This calls for some more serious actions. No one, not even Fairy Tail, can deal with him." Mest didn't like the sound of that. The Council had a tendency to go all out when they perceived a big enough threat; the problem was, that could potentially include the Etherion cannon. As Lahar reached towards the communication lacrima, Mest quickly grabbed his arm.

"Doranbolt, what are you doing?" Lahar demanded.

"Give me some time," Mest said, but didn't say anything beyond that, before putting his hand on the communication lacrima, and flashing away, much to the shock of his "compatriots".

**(with Wendy)**

Wendy was making very steady progress with healing Makarov, which while slow, was advancing. While he couldn't fight, and was still unconscious, he was certainly not at death's door anymore.

"Wendy!" The Sky Dragon Slayer looked up, and saw Natsu, Lucy, and Happy coming up to him.

"Natsu! Lucy!" Wendy said happily, as her brother ran over, and checked her out to make sure she was okay. Carla also took note of Happy, though she made it less apparent.

"So how's the Master doing?" Lucy asked.

"He's still unconscious," Carla answered, "But Wendy's doing her best."

"Well if its any consolation, we took out another member of Grimoire Heart," Lucy said.

"Well, that's progress," Lily noted, "And at this point, what else can we ask for?" Right then, their attention was seized when Mest flashed into form beside them, with the communication lacrima beside him.

"Mest!" Wendy said, smiling at the sight.

"Wait, who the hell are you?" Natsu demanded, folding his arms.

"Really?" Mest asked, deadpanned, "You don't recognize me?"

"Why, should I?"

"Well, I have been a member of Fairy Tail for a long time," Mest muttered more to himself, before shaking his head, "It doesn't matter. How's the Master?"

"Better, but not out of the woods yet," Wendy answered. Mest cringed at that.

"What is it?" Pantherlily demanded.

"I've got bad news," Mest said, "The Council is getting nervous. They're considering going all out here."

"You think they'll attack?" Lucy asked.

"That'd be the best-case scenario," Mest answered. He didn't have to continue, since even Natsu could put two and two together like that.

"They're going to use Etherion!" Happy yelped.

"They never do learn, do they?" Lucy asked with a sigh.

"So what do we do?" Wendy asked.

"We finish things here before they do it," Natsu answered simply.

"I'll fly out and look for the others," Pantherlily volunteered, 'We need to communicate with our allies at this point." With that, the Exceed floated away.

"One way or another, you better think of a plan quick," Mest said, "I can buy you as much time as I can, but I can't delay them forever. Unless you want to leave our holy ground to Grimoire Heart, then you need to move fast."

"You sure you're a member of Fairy Tail?" Natsu asked, glaring at him.

"What're you talking about?"

"Its obvious," Natsu hissed, his chest lighting up, "If the Council decides to get their nose into our business, we're going to burn that nose off!"

**(somewhere else on the island)**

As if the weather could sense the terror taking place on the island, dark clouds built up over the island. Some may have blamed Juvia for that, but this storm was different, with clouds that were so dark, they were almost black. Those clouds soon open dup, sending buckets of water down.

As Erza and Juvia went out looking for the others, they came across one of the Seven Kin of Purgatory, who called herself Meredy. After some time fighting, Erza had decided to leave Juvia to her fight with Meredy. While the Kin seemed strong, Erza didn't doubt that Juvia could prevail. She was now moving through the trees, continuing the search for her comrades.

"Wendy! Natsu! Lucy!" Erza called out, "Where are you!" As she was a running, she ground to a halt, sensing a presence.

"Show yourself, coward!" she called.

"Titania Erza," a voice called from the trees. Erza looked up, and noticed the voice was _literally_ coming from the trees, as a man melted out of a branch, "I've been looking for you." Erza glared at this newcomer.

"Identify yourself," she hissed.

"Azuma, of the Seven Kin of Purgatory. I'm here specifically to challenge you."

"That's a decision you'll come to regret."

**(at the Fairy Tail camp)**

"So Lu's with Natsu and Wendy?" Levy asked.

"Yes," Pantherlily answered, "When I left, they were devising some kind of strategy."

"We need to find the rest of them," Lisanna said, "We need to coordinate."

"I can smell them out," Gajeel said, "I'll go look for them."

"No need," Pantherlily answered, "I know where they are, I can bring them to you."

"Lily's right," Levy said, "We need you here to help guard our wounded."

"Gods know you're going to need it." Fairy Tail whirled around, to see Rustyrose emerging from the trees, a confident look on his face, as he cracked his neck.

"Get ready," he said, "Because I'm going to eat you all alive."

**(with Team Natsu)**

Mest had flashed away to buy the guild more time with the Council, and the team had struck out to keep looking for their team, with Lucy carrying the Master. Natsu and volunteered, but found it hard with his wing arm.

"I'm worried about Cana," Lucy said, "I haven't seen here since we met up with Capciron."

"Hopefully, she made it back to camp," Happy said. Right then, Natsu who was at the head, ground his heels into the ground.

"Big brother?"

"What is it?" Lucy asked.

"There's someone coming," Natsu answered. Sure enough, a silhouette had appeared through the win. Something that they all took note of, was how the rain was pouring harder while around him.

"The hell are you?" Natsu answered, position himself between the figure on his family.

"Can you fly?"

"What?"

"I take that as a 'no'." With that, the man flicked his wrist. In an instant, the rain surrounding the group seemed to stop in mid air. The man was a towering figure in a blue outfit and a white cape, with his hair tied up into a massive tail.

"Now fall." With a flicked his wrists again. The group was all sent crashing to the ground. It wasn't just the crew, the ground itself rippled out into the ground, like some kind force had crashed into the ground.

**(with Erza)**

Azuma paused, as he suddenly looked away to the side. Erza did the same thing, as both of them sensed a tremendous force on the island.

"What is that?" Erza muttered.

"Such a shame when Bluenote gets sent out," Azuma muttered.

**(with Team Natsu)**

Bluenote Stinger, the Vice-Leader of Grimoire Heart, just calmly watched as his opponents sunk into the ground. As the family tried to pull themselves up, they found their bodies intensely heavy.

"Look I couldn't care less about Fairy Tail, or even Zeref," Bluenote said calmly, "I just want to know one thing: where is Mavis Vermillion's grave?"

**(with Cana)**

Despite everything, Cana had found the way. Moving through the cave, she noticed a light before her.

"There it is," Cana murmured, "The grave of the First Master."

**Note: Again, I'm going to cut some of the fights out of the story, mostly because they were just ending up the same as canon. And fights that end up just as canon aren't fun to write, and I take it they aren't particularly fun to read either. Probably all the fights except one will be cut, since again, it would just be the same as canon.**

**I guess I might as well take some time to briefly talk about the new movie that's coming out. I'm certainly looking forward to it, if only to see more of the anime. I've also heard that a new anime is currently in development.**

**On another note, some people have been suggesting that I get a account. I don't see that happening though, because though I do have a pretty sizable reader-base, I'm not sure how many would be willing to donate. Besides, that would mean I'd have to stick to a schedule, which my life currently isn't permitting me.**

**Please review.**


	83. Fairy Glitter

_**Fairy Glitter**_

Cana could only marvel at the grave of Mavis Vermillion, the First Master of Fairy Tail. It was truly a sight to behold; it was simple in its design, but it had an eerie glow to it, like there was a light from within the core of the grave.

"So this is it?" Cana murmured, as she slowly approached the grave. She looked up, and noticed what almost looked like a protective bubble over the area, preventing the rain from getting in. Cana reached out to the grave, but recoiled when she got a slight shock. As she steppe back, letters appeared over the grave.

"_Here I seal Fairy Glitter. May it sear away all darkness."_

"That energy," Cana muttered, "Could that be what Master once told us about the Three Great Magics?"

**(with Team Natsu)**

"_Fairy Glitter."_

"I have heard tell about the three great magics of Fairy Tail," Bluenote said, as he looked at the downed mages

"The hell you talking about?" Natsu asked, as he started to pull himself up. In response, Bluenote looked at him, sending the Dragon Slayer crashing down.

"Natsu!"

"Big brother!"

"It is the light that obliterates all foes," Bluenote explained, "Its a power that has no equal."

"Look, we don't have any idea where the grave is," Lucy said, "You're wasting your time."

Natsu, however, began to slowly push himself up. As he did, though no one seem to notice, spines began to peak out of his back, as the scales climbed further up his face. He then let out a roar, as he leapt up at Bluenote. The dark mage just held up his hand, to push him further into the ground; however, the Dragon Slayer pushed himself up, flapping slightly with his wing. That didn't go unnoticed by Bluenote, who was forced to apply more pressure; eventually, the Dragon Slayer was forced to the ground.

"Natsu!" Happy cried.

"Now either help me or get squashed like insects," Bluenote said plainly, though he didn't lower the hand pointed at Natsu. Lucy gritted her teeth. If this man managed to pin even Nat's, then what kind of monster were they dealing with. _Someone help_ she thought.

**(with the Cana)**

Cana was getting frustrated. She hadn't come all this way and dealt with everything fate had to throw at her to just get a random spell she didn't want or need.

"What was all this for?" she asked out loud, "Was it for nothing?" As Cana stared at the shrine, her memory faded back to when her mother, Cornelia Alberona, died when she was six. In her will, Cana was to live with her father. Cana only knew his name…"

"Gildarts," she murmured, as she thought of her father. She found out that he had worked at a mage guild, but when Cana met him, Gildarts hadn't recognized her. If only to stay close, Cana joined the guild, though she only would see him every so often, and each time she tried, Cana found how out she couldn't say those all important words.

Eventually, days turned into weeks, weeks into months, and months into years. Throughout those years, Cana trained herself in Card Magic, though she never revealed the truth. Eventually, she decided that the only way she could earn her father's regard is to get the title of S-Class, but for four years, no progress was made. Cana clenched her fists.

"No matter what I do, I can't say it…," she murmured, tears welling in her face, "I'm so… so…" There wasn't a word that really covered what she felt. Right then, a crying sound came out, which Cana founded out was a special card she gave to Lucy, that warned her if she was in danger. Cana's mind that went to her partner, and she fell to her knees.

"Lucy," she said softly, thinking about her partner had left her own son behind to help her, "I'm so sorry! It wasn't supposed to be like this! I'm so sorry!" Unbeknownst to Cana, Mavis floated over her, listening to her as she spoke, narrowing her eyes. Now she realized who this girl reminded her of; she reminded Mavis of Zera. Mavis couldn't help but chuckle slightly, thinking about how Zera may have been as an adult. Cana then rose to her feet, and then slowly approached the totem, reaching of the light source. She let out a cry of pain as the energy all surged at her.

"I don't care anymore! Not about being an S-Class, not telling the truth!" Cana cried, "I just want to help my friends! I just want to help my guild! Please help!" Mavis just smiled at the sight of that.

Suddenly the glow abruptly faded, leaving Cana to wonder what had happened. She then took a step back, as she looked at the symbol on her arm. The Card Mage looked at the symbol, before a smile spread.

"Thank you, First Master," she said, before starting to run back the way she came, as Mavis watched.

"Go save our family," she said.

**(with Team Natsu)**

Despite their best efforts, the team wasn't doing crap against Bluenote. Though it took slightly more effort than usual to keep Natsu down, the Dragon Slayer was still pinned. But still, his red scales continued to climb up his body.

"I'll ask one final time," Bluenote said, "Where is the grave?"

"And I'll tell you again!" Lucy answered, "We don't know!" Bluenote was silent for a time, looking closely to his opponents, before sighing.

"I believe you," he finally said. That surprised the guild members for a time, as he held up his hand.

"Might as well dispose of you now," Bluenote said, "No need to hold onto the to the trash." With that, he started to bring his hand down.

"Hey you bastard!" Bluenote looked up, and noticed a flash of light. He waved his hand, deflecting the cards. After the dust cleared, he noticed Cana standing on the rocks over her.

"Cana!" Lucy cried out at the sight of her partner.

"She's back!" Happy said.

"Lucy!" Cana called, "I'm so sorry! I'm sorry for leaving you! Sorry for taking you away from Haru! Sorry for…"

"I get it!" Lucy answered, smiling, "Apology accepted!" Cana then leapt at Bluenote, throwing another several cards at Bluenote, who deflected them again. As he was distracted, Cana landed in front of him, and held up her arm, with a red mark, that looked similar to the Fairy Tail mark, only more stylized.

"What kind of symbol is that?" Happy asked.

"Could that be…," Carla muttered.

"Natsu!" Cana called, "Can you distract this guy while I get the spell ready?"

"Eh?" Natsu asked, cocking his head.

"I'll comment on your weird repto-face later," Cana said, "Just help me!"

"This is getting irritating," Bluenote said, before slamming his fist into the ground. This sent a ripple that sent the group careening away.

"Gravity is one of the fundamentally truths of reality," Bluenote said, "None of you can move under my magic." He then approached the downed Cana.

"Now give me that magic, and we can finish this quickly," Bluenote said.

"Even I were to give you them," Cana answered, "Only Fairy Tail members can use any of the three great magics."

"All one need do is find the source of all magic," Bluenote responded, "Once you find it, all magic can be found."

"Source of all magic?" Lucy asked out loud, as it sounded familiar. Bluenote then stood over Cana, who floated in front up in front of him.

"You can use Fairy Glitter, yes?" he asked, "That's quite a feat; hard to envision a pathetic little girl being able to do such a thing." With that, magical seals appeared around around Cana, as she started glowing. Cana screamed in pain, as she started literally sparking. Natsu then finally got an idea, as he gathered a flaming claw, before thrusting his fist into the ground. This sent a shockwave through the ground. That broke Bluenote's focus just in time for Cana to slip out of his grasp, and leap back.

"Nice going Natsu!" Cana said, befor holding up her arm, and began to chant, "_Gather! Oh guiding rivers of light! Shine on! To crush this wicked fang, this evil…_" Her mark on her arm began to glow. Bluenote could recognize this magic.

"_FAIRY GLITTER!" _A massive ring of light appeared around Bluenote, who cried out at that.

"That power!" Lucy said, "Its amazing!"

"Disappear!" Cana said, as the light began to gather around Bluenote. However, the dark mage slammed his foot into the ground, sending another shockwave throughout the surrounding area. Cana's concentration shattered, as did the ring of light. Cana wasn't able to do anything, as the spell broke apart, the arm carrying the mark severely lacerated.

"It doesn't matter how powerful a spell is," Bluenote sneered, "If a weakling tries to use it, its going to fail." Cana could only look up, as Bluenote loomed over her. Her magic power was completely sapped, and he couldn't do anything.

"Cana!" Natsu cried out, as he tried to pull himself up. A small, scaly stub appeared at the base of his spine.

"Please… stop…," Lucy squeaked.

"Now fall into the abyss, like the vermin you are," Bluenote rumbled, holding up his hand. However, in his focus, he failed to notice a new presence, until it blast him away. Every stared up at the figure, revealing a very familiar, very angry, and all too welcome face.

"Gildarts!" Natsu cried happily.

"We're saved!" Happy said.

"Dad," Cana whispered, tears streaming down his eyes. Bluenote jumped to his feet to face Gildarts, glaring at this new enemy.

"So you're Gildarts?" Bluenote muttered.

"I don't give a damn who you are," Gildarts answered, "The only thing I care about is crushing you."

**(across the island)**

It hadn't just been Gildarts who came back. Bixlow and Freed had made it o the base camp, where they were challenging Rustyrose. At the same time, Gray had encountered Ultear, and the two were facing each other. Lastly, for reasons Meredy didn't fully understand, she was helping Juvia.

_We believed in our victory. We really did. Bu despite everything, we could do nothing to stop the calamity that was approaching…._

**(….)**

"Do you think they'll come home today, big brother?"

"I don't know, but no reason not to hope."

**Note: These actually felt like events I needed to actually depict. While there are a couple of obvious events, there are a couple minor ones that worth noting. I won't say them though.**

**The last fight before Hades that will be depicted will be Erza and Azuma, because I've got some actual ideas on how to make it different.**

**Please review. Just short of the 700 mark.**


	84. Erza vs Azuma

_**Erza vs Azuma**_

While a number of different battles had commenced, Erza and Azuma had been dueling for some time.

Currently equipped into her Black Wing armor, Erza slashed at Azuma, who easily avoided her attack. He then held up his finger, as four roots sprung from the ground, and twisted at the mage, who easily cut them apart. Azuma then twist his hands together, as several new roots sprung up, with the ends forming into hands. Erza avoided them all, but using one of them as a boost. Springing at Azuma, Erza required into her Flight Armor, and dashed through the grasping vines towards Azuma. However, the tree mage was protected by a block of wood, that prevented Erza from reaching him. The block then produced several more hands, which grasped at Erza. While Erza managed to avoid a couple, one of them grabbed onto her ankle. Azuma then snapped his fingers.

"Bleve." The root grasping her Erza then exploded, which sent Erza careening away. She required into her Heaven's Wheel Armor, and summoned up a number of swords, which descended upon Azuma. A ring of vines formed around him, intercepting the bulk of the swords, though one managed to slash his cheek. Azuma reached up to the touch the cut.

"Impressive," he said, "I suppose I should expect nothing less from Titania."

"I don't care about your compliments," Erza sneered.

"Not so much a compliment as an observation," Azuma said, smirking, "I'll confess, I'm not really interested in what Master Hades is after. My goal is simply to fight strong people."

"That's a pathetic thing to fight for," Erza said, "I don't see much purpose in only looking for strong people."

"This coming from a woman who actively seeks to increase her power at every opportunity?"

"Power is just a means to an end," Erza said, "I seek power to protect the people I care for, and to protect the innocent. That is my duty as a knight." Azuma just looked at her closely.

"People like you always fascinate me," he said, "Always sticking so firm to your code, and your personal policies. To stick so strictly to just some abstract guidelines, lest you lose your life to something."

"Is there a point to this soliloquy?"

"Not especially," Azuma said, "But it stands to mention that my task has to be completed." Erza arched an eyebrow.

"Care to share it?"

"Technically, what I said wasn't the whole truth," Azuma said, "I also came here to take control of the vast power within this island." He then close this eyes, as he held up his arms. From his ankles, roots came out, and started digging into the ground, and radiating out around him.

"What are you…" Erza couldn't finish as the ground starting shaking. She then looked up, as she realized in horror what he was doing. The great Tenrou Tree in the center of the island was being to twist and warp, before starting to list to the side.

"Wait!" Erza said, "You don't meant…"

"Exactly," Azuma answered coldly. Then, with a tremor that seemed to shake the whole island, the tree collapsed.

Instantly, all the Fairy Tail mages across the island could feel their powers sapped away. Needless to say, the Grimoire Heart mages jumped not the opportunity, and turned the tables on their opponents. Erza managed to remain standing in her stance, but she too could feel her power being drained.

**(with Zeref and Mavis)**

Mavis watched as the tree she'd known her whole life lay broken on the ground. Tears streamed down her face as she cried. Zeref was standing behind her.

"Zera and I used to dare each other to climb up to the top of that tree," she muttered to herself. Zero's fists tightened more than they already were; already they had made her cry, but this was officially crossing a line.

"I'm so sorry Mavis," he said, as he held her, "I'll see to it that these people are punished." With that, he turned on his heels, and started moving away. It was time he had a "discussion", with the master of Grimoire Heart.

**(with Erza)**

Erza doubled over, panting, using her sword to maintain her balance.

"Master Hades knows the magic that cloaks this island well," Azuma said, as he rose into the air on a root, his arms folded, "There is a special blessing that protects those who bare the crest of Fairy Tail. The great Tenrou Tree is the source of that magic, and once one takes away the magic's source…"

"What kind of coward would do such a thing?!" Erza demanded.

"I take no pleasure in this," Azuma said sternly, "But orders are orders." Erza would've shot back at that, but she had too much on her mind. She knew that if she couldn't stop Azuma, all of Fairy Tail would continue getting its magic drained, until there would be nothing left. However, suddenly, she felt a surge of power coming through her.

"What is…"

"I never said my orders were to drain all of Fairy Tail," Azuma said, "Just that it was to topple the tree. I'd much rather fight you at full strength, to see if you truly have the power you need to protect your family." Erza's teeth clenched as she pulled up to her feet.

"Very well then," Erza said, "Then if that's the case, after I defeat you, my allies will get their power back, yes?"

"On my honor, I shall see to it," Azuma answered, "But only if you can defeat me."

"I've faced worse odds," Erza said, as she shifted into her Heaven's Wheel armor, "All one needs is the will to do it, and when they have that, they can do anything!" With that, she sprung forward, creating a ring of swords, which Azuma intercepted with his roots. Several roots then came up to grab Erza, but she cut them all down. However, as her focus wa son that, a fist made of roots formed, and knocked her away.

Re-quipping into her Flight Armor, Erza sprung at Azuma, who had just enough time to block the strikes. However, a slash mark appeared on his chest. Holding the bleeding wound, Azuma had only just enough time to look up, as Erza re-quipped into her Flame Empress Armor. Swinging a flame enhanced blade, Erza went for Azuma again, but a wall of roots blocked the attack.

As Erza moved back, several more hands appeared from the roots. Erza leapt back, towards another branch, where Azuma emerged and grabbed her ankles in an ambush.

"Tower Burst!" A massive explosion rocked the area, sending Erza careening away. Erza managed to skid to a halt, wiping the side of her mouth, down, but certainly not out. Considering her options, Erza returned to her Heart Kruez armor. He definitely surpassed her in terms of raw power, so Erza knew she would have to use strategy instead. That's when the solution came to her, as she re-quipped into her bandage armor, with a red-tinted sword. It was a sword that Azuma recognized.

"I can't overpower you as is," Erza said, "But that doesn't mean I can't beat you." Azuma narrowed his eyes.

"The Demon Blade Crimson Sakura," he muttered, "One of Seven Tools of Ankhseram."

"The what?"

"Seven of the most powerful weapons known to exist," Azuma explained, "I've seen a couple of them. Now I can say I've seen another."

"I've never heard of them," Erza answered, "A sword is a sword, and that's all that matters."

"Very well then," Azuma said, as he took a battle stance, "Then come face me!" With that, Erza sprung at him, bringing the blade towards Azuma. Holding up his hand, Azuma let her come at him, as a shield of wood appeared. The sword cut straight through wood, but as Erza passed through the gap in the wood, tendrils came from the wood. The tendrils constricted Erza.

"I can't move!" Erza said, as she immobilized.

"I release all the magic energy kept within this land!" Azuma roared, "Terra Chyrmal!" Erza was swallowed in the explosion, which was so big, it was felt by people on the other side of the island. When the dust cleared, it showed Erza broken on the ground, and Azuma still standing, smiling.

"Thanks… for the fight," he said through his pants.

**(at the Magic Council prison)**

Deep within the Magic Council's prison, there was a cell at the absolute bottom. In that cell, Jellal sat, staring at the floor, before looking up slightly.

"Erza…"

**(on Tenrou Island)**

"… _don't lose."_

Azuma had just enough time to turn around, as he got slashed through the side, in a shallow, but still painful cut. As he held his bleeding side, he saw Erza back on her feet, wounded, but still willing to fight.

"I've come to far," she said, "I can't give up on my comrades now. I have to keep on fighting." She then re-quipped out of her sword, and into a weapon even Azuma had never seen.

"Re-quip: Ten Commandments!" Erza held up the spear she won from Erza Knightwalker, and pointed it at Azuma.

"Interesting weapon," Azuma said, "Is it from Edolas?"

"How would you know about Edolas?"

"Information travels well," the Tree Mage answered, "But I can't say I've ever battled with such a weapon."

"Not even I could beat this spear," Erza said, "I only won it by the grace of my opponent."

"Very well then," Azuma said, gesturing, "Let me see what it can do." Not intent on keeping her opponent waiting, Erza launched at him.

"Blue Crimson!" The spear split in two red and blue weapons, as Erza cut at him with a combined fire and ice attack. The roots Azuma had sent at her were destroyed, allowing for Erza to come at him again. With a cry, Erza brought down both weapons, but when she did, she found that it was a double made of wood. Azuma appeared behind her, as he held up his finger.

"Folium Sica." A series of sharp leaves gathered together, and when Azuma pointed, they all went at Erza.

"Rune Save!" The spear shifted into a jagged, green shape, and cut through the magic leaves, negating the attack.

"Mel Force!" Shifting again, Erza sent a wave of vacuum at Azuma, which was strong enough to push him away, and send him careening through several trees. As he skidded to the halt, he brought his hands together as if praying. All the roots then gathered together, to form a colossal fist of wood.

"Wood Titan!" The fist came down at Erza, but to Azuma's surprise, Erza's spear had shifted again, as it shattered the wood instead of cutting.

"Gravity Core!" The Ten Commandments had turned into a jagged, dark form, as another orb of dark energy gathered in it, and blasted at Azuma. Azuma moved to dodge, but the opposing energy pushed him away. That gave gave Erza an opening.

"Ravelt!" The Ten Commandments shifted into its ultimate form. Erza then sprung at him, bringing the tip down towards him. As she bore down on Azuma, she could feel a strange energy coursing through her. Master once told her that the island's magic draws its power from the bonds that the Fairy Tail members shared. Erza would've smirked at that thought; people mocked the guild for drawing all its strength from the "power of friendship", but as far as Fairy Tail was concerned, that was all they really needed. Azuma saw Erza baring down at her, as he just smiled.

"Well done," he said.

"Dance of One Blade!" With a single strike, Erza cut Azuma down. The strike was deceptively small, but it seemed to cut straight through Azuma's magic power. Coughing up blood, Azuma fell o the ground, as Erza landed, panting, and balancing on the spear. Looking towards Azuma, Erza narrowed her eyes.

"You lost, hold you your end of the bargain," she said, "and return my guild's power." Azuma chuckled as he lay on the ground.

"I guess now there are Eight Tools of Ankhseram," he said softly, "The Ten Commandments was it?"

"I don't care," Erza answered, "Just do what I said." Azuma just smiled.

"Tell me something," he said, "What do you think the origin of magic is?" That surprised Erza; no enemy she ever faced tried to get this philosophical for her.

"I don't know," she answered, "And its not my concern. The only thing that concerns me, is how it can be used. Those who fiddle with unanswerable questions like those, are just setting themselves up for their own fall." Azuma listneed to her opinion, and sighed.

"Go," he said, "You have more battles to win." But Erza had already left, to go find her friends, and bring an end to this.

"What a guild," Azuma muttered, as he smiled up at the sky.

**Note: As you can see, I cut out most of Jellal's bit. While I would rather have not if given the option, for the sake of the story, it needed to be done. You'll also noticed I spared Azuma. That's all I'll say for now.**

**I'll be cutting Gray and Ultear's fight, because it would've ended up just like canon, so to that end, the next fight will feature Team Natsu and Hades.**

**Be sure to review.**

**As **_**Fairy Tail**_** nears its conclusion, I'm wondering how much longer it'll go on. At first, I'm inclined to think that if Mashima keeps up the current pattern of the covers representing the past arcs, we'll have at least 14 more chapters. The question then becomes if the story can end in that space of time, which is possible. Its a pity, since this was among the first manga I started reading. Hopefully the anime will come back soon, because we can keep up with **_**FT**_**. Ah well, I'll just do what I did when **_**Rave Master**_** ended, reread it, since even after it ends, it'll still be my favorite.**


	85. Damnation

_**Damnation**_

While it had been a fierce streams of battles, the Seven Kin of Purgatory were finally defeated after Gray and Ultear engaged in battle, and the latter was defeated. Ultear was currently limping away weakly from her fight, not sure where exactly she was going.

"Ultear!" The black-haired woman looked up to see a beaten Meredy hurrying up to her.

"Meredy," Ultear said softly, as the pink-haired girl approached her.

"I lost," Meredy said softly, "And I couldn't find Zeref." Half of that was also true for Ultear, the only difference that she did find Zeref.

"Don't worry," Ultear said, putting a hand on her shoulder, "Its not you're fault, you did your best. If anything, we may have underestimated the guild."

"But what are we going to do now?" Meredy asked, "What _can_ we do now?" Ultear wasn't sure how to answer that. There weren't that many options at their disposal at the time.

"I'm not sure," Ultear said, smiling at her adopted daughter, "But I'm sure we can figure something out."

"You don't fully know what to do?" a familiar voice said, "No surprise there." The two females looked up towards them was a similarly familiar man with wild blonde hair.

"Zancrow!" Ultear said, "You're alright."

"So you failed to find Zeref?" Zancrow sneered, "I guess I should've expected it from you."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Meredy asked, glaring at her guild mate.

"How stupid do you think I am?"

"You really want an answer?" Ultear sneered right back.

"I could always tell," Zancrow said, smiling his usual manic smile, "You were planning to betray us from the start!" Ultear tried not to flinch at that; it was true she was planning on taking Zeref for herself and Meredy, but she thought it had been kept a secret.

"How can you…," Meredy began.

"You are no longer part of Grimoire Heart!" Zancrow suddenly declared, as he released a cloud of black fire at his "guild mates". Ultear managed to push Meredy out of the way just in time, but she got blasted away.

"Ultear!" Meredy cried, as she tried to go to Ultear, only to have to avoid another blast of black fire.

"You won't take Zeref from us!" Zancrow snapped, as flames gathered in his hands, "I'll deal with you all!" Unlike Ultear, he had enough time to recover some of his magic power.

"You can't take Zeref!" Meredy said, "He's our future! He's Ultear's future!" As Ultear listened to that, she clenched her teeth, and stared at the ground.

"Ha ha ha!" Zancrow cackled, "What do you care about Ultear's future? Because she's your mom?"

"I…"

"You're so called 'mother' was the one who destroyed your home!" Zancrow declared. Suddenly, the only sound was of the rain dripping onto the ground, as Meredy stared at Ultear and Zancrow. Ultear didn't bother trying to deny it, as she continued stared at the ground in shame.

"Ultear?" Meredy said, as she looked at Ultear, who couldn't meet her eyes.

"Now why don't you just be good girls and die now!" Zancrow said as he brought his ignited hands up. That was when a new presence appeared, one that was down right smothering.

"Once again, you invoke the need a need without a true grasp on it."

"Is that…," Zancrow muttered. The dark mages turned to see Zeref slowly emerging from the tree line, his face cloaked in shadows.

"Lord Zeref!" Ultear said. While both Meredy and Zancrow knelt, Ultear didn't, remembering what had happened to her earlier. She supposed she was slightly thankful that the blonde girl wasn't with him this time, but she recognized this aura from him all too well.

"I didn't want any of this," Zeref said slowly, his eyes hidden, "I would have been content to simply remain on this island with Mavis, hidden away from the world." He then looked up at the dark mages, who could only stare into the Black Mage's pulsing red eyes.

"But you had to trespass in your cravings to take that which cannot be taken." That was when the air turned as hard as stone. Even Zancrow began to shake at that.

"You're just like all the others," Zeref hissed, "You seek power and prestige without understanding the consequences of it. Then let you're ignorance be your undoing." He then brought his hands up into a circle. A swirl of dark energy suddenly gathered around Zancrow's feet.

"The hell?" Zancrow said as he stood up. Zeref then spoke only one word:

"_Damnation_." Zancrow didn't even have time to speak, as a pillar of dark magic sprung up from beneath Zeref. When it faded, Ultear and Meredy could only stare in horror as Zancrow fell to the ground, dead.

"Such is the punishment for trifling in affairs one does not truly understand," Zeref hissed, before turning to leave. However, as he did, he suddenly stopped in his tracks as he looked into the distance, as if he could sense something.

"Acnologia," he murmured. Both women were surprised by the mention of that though, they couldn't remember what exactly he meant by that. Zeref's whole body suddenly slouched down.

"I'm sorry Mavis," he said, as his face turned solemn, "This is my fault; I need to go." This left both Ultear and Meredy alone, still reeling from what they had just seen. Though no one noticed him, Mest had been tracking the members of Grimoire Heart, and was behind a tree, listening. Dread fell over his face as he listened to it.

"Did he really say…," he muttered.

**(at the camp)**

Most of the guild had gathered at the camp, to figure out what to do next. The rain was really coming down, as was the lightning.

"Wow," Lucy said, "I thought only Juvia could make rain like this." There was another bolt of lightning and sound of thunder. As it did, Pantherlily covered his head, shaking slightly.

"Are you okay Lily?" Carla asked.

"Yes!" Lily hissed.

"Are you scared of lightning?" Happy asked.

"No!" Neither of his fellow exceeds were fooled, however.

"I guess there's something cute about you after," Happy said with a smile, as Carla snickered, much to Lily's embarrassment.

"Alright!" Natsu suddenly said, as everyone looked at him, as he declared, "I'm going after Hades, anyone want to join me?"

"Are you sure that's such a good idea?" Lucy asked, "Especially considering your condition."

"What're you talking about?"

"Seriously, you can't tell me you haven't noticed. Look at yourself," Lucy said, gesturing, "You're becoming more and more reptilian." Natsu looked at his body, and noticed she was right. The scales that had originally been concentrated on his left had spread gradually.

"So what?" Nat's asked.

"'So what'?" Lucy demanded, "You think gradually turning into a dragon is something completely normal?" Natsu open his mouth.

"Don't answer that," Lucy said, holding up her hand.

"Well, it doesn't matter," Natsu answered, holding up his wing, "We still need to beat Hades! So, is anyone going to come?"

"We'll come too!" Happy said, floating up next to Lucy.

"No way!" Natsu said to Lucy, "I'm not letting you come!" Lucy sighed, as she rubbed her forehead. When all's said and done, she had a feeling that Natsu would be going no even if he had a tail, so it was probably pointless to try and stop him.

"We're a team, Natsu!" Lucy eventually said, "Anywhere you go, I go!"

"I'm going too!" Wendy said.

"Wendy!" Carla and Natsu said together.

"We're all beaten up enough as is," Wendy answered, "You're definitely going to need some support."

"We're going to come too!" Happy declared for the exceeds.

"The rest of us will stay here," Freed said, "I'll work on some barrier runes we can use."

"You guys better be careful," Levy said.

"Don't we always?" Lucy asked with a wink, and with that, the team struck out to get Hades. As they were running, they were intercepted by Erza and Gray, with the latter supporting the former.

"What're you guys doing now?" Erza asked.

"We're going to take down Hades, what else?" Natsu answered.

"What else, indeed," Erza said with a grin.

**(at the Grimoire Heart ship)**

Hades took a breath as he stood up from his seat, and stared out the window of his ship.

"Very well then," he said, "I guess its time I finally joined the fray."

**Note: Sorry this chapter wasn't my best. It took some planning to make certain details of this chapter, especially as we come up to the battle with Hades, and I was on a bit of a crunch. Its worth noting that there is going to be a pretty major difference in the battle with Hades, which you'll have to wait and see.**

**Something worth saying is that while I had some updates planned, I'm going on a big trip to Scandinavia with my family. On the one hand, I'm going to spend quite a large amount of time on a plane, without much to do, so hopefully I can get some work done then. Also, I set up a account, but no I'm not going to ask people to donate yet, not until I get into a greater swing of writing. Also, I'm trying to get as much done as I can now, because while I did just graduate, I intend on joining the Navy, so that'll pretty severely stifle my progress.**

**Be sure to review.**

**So we're counting down to the last ten chapters of **_**Fairy Tail**_**. For the record, what happened in the last chapter is obviously not the end, because you can always count on the main protagonist beating the main antagonist (if you've read the chapter, you know what I'm talking about). Besides, again, there are still ten chapters to go, so unless those ten chapters are going to be about Natsu and Lucy making love, there is still a lot to happen.**


	86. FOR FAIRY TAIL!

"_**FOR FAIRY TAIL!"**_

Soon enough, the team had made it to Grimoire Heart's airship. When they got there, they all looked up, to see Hades staring down at them, his arms folded.

"Are you Hades?!" Natsu demanded.

"And just who may I say is asking?" Hades asked calmly.

"We're Fairy Tail!" The master just chuckled.

"Very well then," he said, before gesturing, "Come then, third Fairy Tail. Let's see what you're capable of." With that, he vanished back into the ship.

"I'm going to like kicking his ass!" Gray declared.

"Don't get cocky," Erza said, "Don't forget he defeated Makarov."

"So all we need to do now is beat him, and we'll get off the island!" Lucy said, pumping her fist.

"Alright!" Natsu said, turning to the exceeds, "I need you guys to do something for us."

"What is it?" Happy and Carla asked at the same time.

"You guys can fit into places we can't," Natsu explained, "Look around for something we can use to bring this ship down!"

"You can count on us!" Happy declared, holding up his paw.

"Then what the hell are we waiting for?" Gray declared, as he created a bridge out of ice up into the ship. With that, the group all charged up, while the exceeds went to find a place to sneak into.

"No holding back!" Erza instructed, "Considering what he can do, we have to go all out!"

"Right!" Wendy and Gray both said.

"The sooner we get this done, the sooner I can go home and cuddle with Haru again!" Lucy declared.

"I never hold anything back!" Natsu answered as his chest started to glow. With that, they all made into Hades throne room, where the dark mage calmly awaited them.

"Eat this you twisted bastard!" Natsu roared, as he inhaled, and released a cloud of fire. Hades simply held up his hand, as the fire bounced off of him.

"My compliments," Hades said plainly, "That was actually rather hot." However, as the fire cleared away, it showed Erza in her Black Wing Armor, carrying the Ten Commandments.

"Explosion!" The spear took on its red form, inflicting a major explosion on Hades. The force made Hades raise his arm, and when the smoke cleared, it showed Gray making a battle axe out of ice. While Hades managed to block, it gave Lucy enough time to pull out of a key.

"Open, Gate of the Golden Bull!" she said, "Taurus!" With a bellowing "moo", the giant bull appeared before Hades, and brought his axe down. Meanwhile, Wendy leapt into the air.

"Sky Eclipse Dragon Mode!" Wendy said, before unleashing her dragon's roar against Hades, who managed to leap out of the way. Chains came out of Hades' fingertips, and lashed out at the Fairy Tail members. While Natsu and Wendy blasted them away and Erza just managed to dodge them, Lucy and Gray were not so fortunate. While Gray was sent slamming into Erza, Lucy was sent flying towards a wall.

"Lucy!" Natsu cried, as he leapt at his beloved, using his fire on his feet as a booster to spring at her. While he managed to catch her, what he failed to notice was a ridge of spines growing up his spine, going to the end of it. There a small nub appeared at the base of his spine.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah," Lucy said, as she stood up with a nod, "Thanks." Meanwhile, as Erza, Gray, and Wendy gathered themselves, they all faced Hades, as he slowly emerged from the dust.

"Well," he said calmly, as he emerged completely unharmed, "I will admit, that was thoroughly impressive. I should commend Makarov for producing such a generation."

"All of that did nothing?" Erza said in horror.

"How are we supposed to beat him then?" Wendy said softly in horror.

"Simple, you don't," Hades sneered as he removed his cape, and cracked his neck, "But I'm not one to not regard skill and talent, and it would be a shame to not have the chance to see what you're capable of." With that, he held up and gestured.

"Let's see what you can do, third-generation."

"We do have a way to beat you! We do what Fairy Tail does best," Natsu declared, flexing his wing, "We break things! FOR FAIRY TAIL!" With a collective cry, the Fairy Tail mages all sprung at Hades once again.

**(at the Fairy Tail camp)**

As the guild members were all setting up barriers, and keeping watch around the perimeter, Makarov was left otherwise alone, drifting in and out of consciousness. As he did, he could sense a presence, and he glanced to his side, to see that Mest had appeared beside him.

"The hell are you doing here?" Makarov said weakly, "Don't you still have a job to do?"

"I… I heard something," Mest said, averting this eyes. Makarov narrowed his eyes.

"Well then boy, spit it out, why don't you?" With that, Mest told Makarov what he had heard. The old man's eyes widened at that, as his mouth opened slightly in shock.

"I'm not sure if it was really that but…"

"It was," Makarov interrupted, "There is no mis interpreting that." The third master then sighed, staring at the storming sky.

"To hear that name," he muttered, "I'm not sure just what to think."

"I can start evacua….," Mest began.

"Go," Makarov again interrupted.

"What?"

"You heard me."

"I can't leave the guild!" Mest said firmly.

"I'm not asking you to," Makarov responded, "If all goes well, we will escape the island without issue. But if worse comes to worse, the Council will be taking every opportunity to bring down our guild. You have to be there to ensure that such a thing doesn't happen to Fairy Tail." Mest's jaw tightened, as he stared at the ground. He definitely did not want to leave his guild, especially at this point. But he also had to trust his master's judgement at this point.

"I'll… I'll do it," he said. With that, he stood up and started to leave.

"Mest!" The black haired mage looked over his shoulder.

"Never forget who you are," Makarov said firmly, "You are a Fairy Tail mage." Mest looked at his master for a time in silence, before smiling.

"How could I ever forget that?" he responded.

**(back at the airship)**

Put simply, the Fairy Tail mages were losing. Despite their best efforts, they were unable to inflict the proper damage on the master of Grimoire Heart. As Lucy was knocked back, she tried to think of something she could do. Aside from her Celestial Spirits, she remembered that she still had her Star Dress, but on the other hand, Lucy didn't feel like she had the magical energy to spare in order to use it. She looked around at her guild mates, who weren't in that better a place. But Natsu seemed the worst somehow.

His reptilian traits had become even more prominent. The entire right half of his face was now covered in red scales, and the makings of a tail were at the base of his spine. But somehow, the most disturbing part was how his right eye was now completely in his Dragon's Eye form, even though he didn't seem to fully have a grasp on them. Lucy was now beyond worried about him.

"Is there anything else you wish to advertise?" Hades answered, as he dusted his shoulder off slightly.

"We're just getting started!" Natsu said, jumping to his feet.

"Big brother," Wendy said softly, as she got up as well. Natsu started to spring at Hades, who pointed a finger at him.

"Bang." A blast of magic energy shot out of his finger tip, which Natsu managed to block with his wing. He then brought his claws down at Hades, who easily evaded it, and kicked Natsu away.

"Natsu!" Erza cried. The Dragon Slayer skidded to a halt, leaving massive gashes in the floor as he did.

"Are you kidding?" Natsu said with a smirk, "That was nothing!" He then stood up, cracking his neck.

"Now let's…" Right then, Natsu keeled over, completely unconscious. For a time, nobody said anything, rather, they just stared. Until…

"NATSU!" Lucy cried.

**(in Natsu's mind)**

_Once again, Natsu was standing in the volcanic landscape. When he looked down, he noticed that his draconic features had vanished._

"_What the hell's going on?" he demanded out loud._

"_**I would've preferred it not happen this way."**__ Natsu looked up to see Igneel sitting on the rocks over him._

"_**But that was the inevitable consequence of the power you invoked,"**__ he continued._

"_What's going on?" Natsu asked for the second time._

"_**Isn't it obvious?" **__another voice asked. Natsu looked over his shoulder, and saw Smaug appearing through the smoke._

"_**Its time you and I settled our differences,"**__ Smaug sneered__**, "…violently."**_

"_We're going to fight?" Natsu asked, but not eagerly, "Now's not a good time! I've got to beat Hades!"_

"_**Frankly that decision is not your's to make,"**__ Smaug answered__**, "You kept drawing on this primal power. It is only natural that it eventually pulled me to the surface."**__ Natsu opened his mouth to protest, but Smaug beat him to the punch._

"_**You have two choices: either fight me now, or let me consume you in a short while,"**__ he said__**, "What will it be?" **_

_Natsu clenched his fists. He really didn't want to do this. He had to protect Lucy and his friends now more than ever. But if what Smaug was saying was true, it didn't seem like he really had a choice at this point. So with that mind…"_

"_Fine then!" Natsu said, cracking his knuckles, "I'll kick your ass like everyone else!" Smaug gave a sinister grin, as he reared up, his chest starting to glow._

"_**Understand Natsu, if you can defeat him, then all the power of a dragon will be yours,"**__ Igneel said. Natsu and to a admit he liked the sound of that._

"_Alright then!" he said, "Then that's going to make beating Hades all the easier!"_

"_**Be careful Natsu," **__Igneel said__**, "Many Dragon Slayers have tired before, and failed."**_

"_Well I'm not them," Natsu declared, cracking his knuckles, as he glared up at the massive serpentine creature. With a roar, he sprung forward at Smaug, his fists ignited._

**Note: So Natsu is going to be fighting the dragon within his consciousness, Smaug. But if he can beat him, he'll have the true power of a dragon.**

**People will no doubt draw comparisons with what happened in **_**Naruto**_** or **_**Bleach**_**, and yes, that is a very apt comparison. This is one of the major divergences I talked about,a nd there's hopefully going to more as the fight progresses.**

**Please review. Also, if you have any suggestions for what I could do regarding how to make Fairy Tail's disbandment after Tartaros (I told you to be up to date with the series) different, send me PMs now. I like to plan in advance.**


	87. Lucy's Resolve

_**Lucy's Resolve**_

"Natsu! Please wake up!" Lucy cried as she held onto Natsu. The rest of Fairy Tail could only stare in horror as one of their most capable fighters was now down on the ground. As she held him, Lucy noticed more scales starting to gradually crawl over his face.

"What's… what's happening?" she muttered.

"Well that is a serious pity," Hades said, rubbing his head slightly, "That boy actually had quite an amount of ability to brag about."

"What the hell's happening?" Gray demanded.

"Wendy!" Lucy cried out, "We need help!" The Sky Eclipse Dragon Slayer tried to run over to Natsu and Lucy, only to be struck but a blast of energy from Hades and knocked away.

"Wendy!" Erza called, as she leapt over to her, only to be struck back by the same blast of magic.

"Ice Make: Battle Axe!" Gray said as he leapt at Hades. However, the dark mage merely held up his fist, as the ice shattered against it. Hades then flicked his wrist, knocking Gray away again. Before the ice mage could get back up, he was struck in the side by Hades finger gun.

"Sky Eclipse Dragon's Whirlwind!" Wendy said, letting out a twister of sky and eclipse magic at Hades. This one Hades actually had to dodge, but another blast of his magic sent Wendy tumbling away. Erza moved to do something as well, only to knocked away as well. Hades then pointed at Erza, creating a chain out of it, which wrapped around Erza's. With a flick of his finger, Erza was sent rolling away, slamming into Gray, who was just starting to stand up.

"Sky Eclipse Dragon's Roar!" Wendy said, releasing her signature attack. Holding up his opposing attack, Hades deflected the attack, before swinging Erza at Wendy as well, knocking her down.

"It seems that dragon boy was the lynchpin to your efforts," Hades sneered, as he dusted off his hands, "Truly a shame, since it seemed like this might actually have been entertaining."

"You bastard!" Gray said as he tried to get up. Using the Ten Commandments, Erza pushed herself up. With a cry, she then leapt at Hades, who created another series of chains. Using the Runesave form, she managed to cut through the chains. That actually caught Hades off guard slightly, which gave Erza a chance to shift the Ten Commandments into its Explosion form, and when Hades created a blade of dark energy to block the attack, it created an explosion. Erza leapt back, panting slightly.

"That is an Edolas weapon," Hades said, as he emerged from the dust more or less unscathed, "I would certainly be interested in learning its story."

"Damn you!" Erza said, as she shifted to the Gravity Core, and tried to jump at Hades again. However, she got struck in the knee by Hades finger gun.

"You're all absolutely pathetic," Hades sneered, "This is truly beyond disappointing." The Fairy Tail members were quickly running out of options.

"Damn it," Erza said, "How are we supposed to be able to beat him?"

"Big brother," Wendy called out softly, crying. Lucy only cried as well, as she clung onto Natsu.

**(with the Exceed squad)**

"It would really help if we knew what we were looking for," Carla spoke up. She, Happy, and Lily had managed to get into the airship, and began looking for anything that could be used to disable it. They were currently crawling through the air ducts.

"We should be looking for some kind of power source," Lily said.

"Where would we even find it?" Happy asked.

"We should look in the ship's center if we're looking for a power source," Lily said, "Though that begs the question of where the ship's center is."

"If we keep looking, we're bound to find something," Carla answered, as she opened one of the vents, and the Exceeds dropped down to the floor, and started hurrying down it. Right then, there was another crack of thunder, which made Lily squeak.

"Calm down," Carla said, "We're safe in here."

"Are we?" Happy asked.

"Yes we are!" Carla said, "Why do you feel the need to ask such things?"

**(with Mest)**

Mest had relayed the news he gave to Makarov to the Council, as he had to do. After that, Lahar had ordered the entire band to evacuate.

"We can't just leave Fairy Tail here!" Mest said. While he knew the Master had told him not to at this point, he couldn't in all good conscious not try.

"If what you heard is true, than we don't have time to get them together!" Lahar countered.

"But…"

"If they want to get away, its their responsibility," Lahar said, "If they're as strong as everyone says they are, then we have to assume they'll make it." Mest's jaw tightened. While he had no doubt in what his guild was capable of, they were not invincible, and if he heard was true, then maybe even they couldn't deal with what was coming. But he had his orders, and he had to follow them.

"You guys better make it back," he muttered, looking towards the island.

**(back with Team Natsu)**

Things weren't looking good for Fairy Tail, as they desperately tried to hold their own against Hades. Three of them were still trying to fight, with little to no luck whatsoever. During all of this, Lucy was still desperately clinging onto Natsu, tears streaming down her face. In a desperate attempt, Wendy sprung at Hades.

"Sky Eclipse Dragon's…" The Dragon Slayer couldn't finish, as Hades snagged her in his chains. With a snap of his fingers, the chains wrapped Wendy exploded. When the dust faded, she had shifted out of her Sky Eclipse Dragon mode, her Eclipse power having finally run out. Erza tried to rise to her feet to continue the fight, but chains formed around her body, binding her. During this, Gray was trying to muscle through a blown leg.

"Initially I thought you had all potential," Hades said, as he walked towards the beaten mages, "And yet this is all you can give? I'm not more disappointed than anything else. Is this what Fairy Tail has amounted to you?"

"Shut your mouth!" Erza said, "What gives you the right to speak of Fairy Tail?" Hades just laughed at that.

"Makarov was a naive fool," he said stroking his beard, "He thought magic to be a thing of light, and caused it to lose its power."

"What do you know of the old man?" Gray demanded.

"I hear that this generation calls him 'gramps'," Hades said, "If that were the case, you should be calling me 'great-grandfather'." It didn't take long for the Fairy Tail mages to put two and two together.

"You lie!" Erza snapped, "There is no way a monster like you would ever be part of Fairy Tail!"

"It was back when I was known as 'Precht', when my time came, I left the guild, and willed it to Makarov," Hades said, ignoring her, before chuckling slightly, "I can even remember when the seeds of the guild were first planted, when I first stepped onto this island's sands looking for the Tenrou Jade."

"We couldn't give a crap about your past!" Erza suddenly shouted, "It doesn't matter if you were at one point a member of Fairy Tail! You're an enemy of it now! And we must defeat all enemies of our guild!" Hades just laughed as he held up his hand. A series of purple ribbons appeared around, Erza, forming an Amaterasu seal, before creating a massive explosion.

"Erza!" Lucy cried, as she watched the scarlet knight tumble away. She looked around at the rest of her guild mates, who were down and beaten.

"Truly pitiful," Hades said, folding his arms, "I expected so much more of you at this point. This isn't even entertaining at this point. You should just give up at this point. What chance do you have against me? If nothing else, I will make it painless." Lucy shut her eyes tight, as she pressed her forehead against Natsu's, ignoring his rough scales. Was this really it? Was this how it would all end? After all Lucy had been through, with Natsu, with Fairy Tail, with….

"_Mommy!"_

Lucy's eyes then open wide. _Haru_….

"No!" Lucy said softly, as she slowly stood up, before shouting, "I'm not giving up!" Everyone stared at her, as the blonde stood tall.

"Got something to say little girl?" Hades sneered. For a time, Lucy was tempted to back off then and there, but she didn't. Instead, her body began to glow, as she felt new magic energy surge through her.

"I won't give up! I can't give up! Not when my little boy is at home waiting for me!" Lucy declared, "And I don't care what what I have to do! This time its my turn to protect Natsu! I'm going to fight, and keep fighting! And if you kill me, I'll come back and keep fighting!" With that, she held up Taurus' key, and slammed it into her abdomen. There was then a great flash of golden light that enveloped Lucy.

"Lucy!" her teammates all called out at once. Hades just narrowed his eyes. The light then parted, revealing the Celestial Spirit Mage, now looking thoroughly different.

"Star Dress: Taurus!" Lucy said. She was now dressed in a bra and sleeves that had a cow pattern, with black pants that left her right leg exposed. Her hair was now in two separate buns. On her belt buckle, was the symbol of Taurus.

"This power," Erza said, before thinking,_ Its almost like my own._ With that, Lucy leapt at Hades, bringing her fist back.

"Wha…"

"Lucy Punch!" Hades was so surprised by this sudden power, he didn't have the time to react as Lucy drove her fist into his stomach. The punch sent Hades tumbling away, but Lucy wasn't finished yet. She then leapt into the air, and while Hades was on the floor, Lucy's foot collided into his sternum. The force was so great that it shattered the floor of the ship. The other mages all watched in awe.

"Since when did Lucy have power like this?" Gray asked.

"Its amazing," Wendy piped up. Erza smiled at the sight of it.

"Never mess with a woman in love," she said. Lucy panted slightly, as she fell back, looking at he enemy. Even she was thoroughly impressed by the power she now had at her disposal. But at this point, she knew it wasn't a good idea to start questioning it. She watched as her opponent pulled himself out of the dust.

"Not bad child," Hades said, wiping the side of this mouth, "It has been a while since I've seen Star Dress in use. You're Celestial Spirit Magic is truly something to admire."

"Stow it you old geezer!" Lucy said, as she pulled out her whip, "I'm not going to let you win this fight! I'm going to kick your ass!" Hades just chuckled sinisterly.

"Very well then girl, show me what you can do." Lucy tightened her hold on her whip, as she braced herself, and said five words…

"I'm all fired up now!" With that, she sprung forward, bringing her whip down onto the ground. This sent out a shockwave across the floor, that briefly offset Hades stance. This gave Lucy another chance, as she socked him in the face. However, Hades quickly recovered, as he formed a chain out of each finger. Each chain snagged Lucy, but before Hades could do anything else, Lucy broke all the chains at once with a large yank. Hades then (ironically enough), got snagged by Lucy's whip.

"Lucy Smash!" With that, she slammed Hades into the ground. Before Hades could gather himself again, he was yanked back up, and sent flying as Lucy threw him.

"You're awesome, big sister!" Wendy called. _Yeah_ Lucy thought _I guess I really am. _However, she was broken from her pride, when she heard a sinister laughing. Right then, there was a blast of energy from the dust, that hit Lucy like a bag of concrete. The blonde was sent flying into the wall, hitting it head first. Dazed, she was almost unable to fully comprehend Hades approaching her. To Lucy's credit, he was now somewhat beat up, but still far from beaten.

"I take back what I said," Hades said, "This generation of Fairy Tail produced some truly exceptional mages." He then pointed, at Lucy as the Amaterasu seals appeared around her.

"It would be a shame to kill such potential, but necessity is quite a powerful force." With that, he started to clench his fist as the seals began to glow.

"Lucy!" Erza and Gray cried out together. Lucy instinctively shut her eyes.

Right then, a a bolt of lighting came down and struck the airship, much to the horror of Happy and Lily, who were still in the ship. Electricity crackled through air, as a bolt of lighting traveled down the wall towards Lucy. There was then a great flash of light. Lucy opened her eyes, noticing that someone was holding her under their arm.

"Don't get too cocky, blondie," a familiar voice said, "Natsu would never get over you dying." Lucy looked up to see an equally familiar face, with lightning crackling around him. Hades eyes widened at the sight of this newcomer.

"Yuri?"

"Laxus," Erza said softly.

**Note: You didn't really think I was going to show the battle between Natsu and Smaug, one of the most important battles in the story, immediately, did you?**

**I wanted this chapter to feature Lucy being awesome. She's one of my favorite characters, and I'd even argue that while Natsu's **_**Fairy Tail**_**'s hero, Lucy is the main protagonist. to that end, I gave her access to another Star Dress. I can't really give an in-universe reason as to why she was able to do it, though I can invoke suspension of disbelief. To invoke the MST3K mantra: "Its just a fanfic, I should really just relax".**

**Please review. Seriously. Last chapter I got a spam message from a guy who thought this was an appropriate place evangelize. I don't think anybody appreciates messages like those. And while I won't claim to speak for other writers, I think many will agree that getting review for a new chapter is very affirming for a writer. For some writers it can make their day.**

**On another note, I'm considering making a community centered around stories that deal with, or feature Fairy Tail's disbandment. I know a couple (including one of my own stories), but I would still need some more. Also, I strongly encourage people to write more stories about this concept, since in my opinion, its an absolute gold mine of ideas and opportunities.**


	88. Natsu vs Smaug: Part I

_**Natsu vs Smaug: Part I**_

Laxus set Lucy down beside Natsu, after which the Celestial Spirit mage scurried back over to Natsu to check on him. Laxus then looked towards Hades.

"I never thought I'd be so happy to see Laxus," Gray said, as he pulled himself up, holding his side.

"Isn't he the Master's grandson?" Wendy asked. Erza just smiled slightly in relief at the sight of Laxus.

"So what the hell's up with Natsu?" Laxus asked, glancing back, "He looks like crap."

"Its.. a long story," Lucy said, as she held Natsu close. Laxus snorted, before turning back towards Hades.

"The old man never liked talking about the time before him," he said, cracking his neck, "If a bastard like you was in Fairy Tail back then, I can't blame him."

"So you're Makarov's grandson?" Hades said, narrowing his eye, "I've heard of you." _The resemblance to Yuri is downright uncanny_ he thought to himself. Thinking about that brought back memories, good memories, which he certainly didn't want at this point.

"If that's the case," Laxus said, "Then you should know just who's buried on this island."

"More than you would."

"So you're twisted enough to desecrate this land?" Laxus demanded, as he removed his cloak, and electricity started crackling around him, "You deserve a serious thrashing for this." _Lightning Magic_ Hades thought_ As if there weren't already enough similarities._

"Very well then, boy," Hades said, "Then let's see what you can do." Laxus, as it turned out, didn't need the invitation. In a literal flash, he was upon Hades, bring his fist up, which Hades managed to parry. He then held up his hand, creating a chain out of it, though Laxus also managed to parry it as well. The two combatants then both fell back.

"Lightning Dragon's Roar!" The Dragon's Roar was deflected by Hades.

"Artificial Dragon Slayer Magic," the dark mage noted, "Not a common ability in this day."

"So what?" Laxus said, "It gets the job done!" With that, he held up his arm.

"Raging Bolt!" A massive bolt of lighting crashed down from the sky, through the ceiling, and struck Hades.

**(with the Exceed squad)**

The Exceed squad wasn't making much progress. The hope had been to find some kind of power source so they could disable the ship. That was then the lightning struck the ship, causing Pantherlily to flinch rather visibly.

"You sure you okay, Lily?" Happy said.

"Completely!" Lily snapped, "Why would you even ask?!"

"We're still not making any progress," Carla said, "Perhaps we should split up."

"We do that," Lily all but stuttered, "We would be vulnerable. Especially considering all the…"

"Get those cats!"

"…enemies." The Exceeds saw several Grimoire Heart mages charging at them.

"How'd they find us?" Happy asked.

"It doesn't matter," Lily said as he assumed his battle form, "All of you stay behind me!"

"No way!" Happy said, as he held up Mr. Cursey, which he had kept with him, "I'm not hiding anymore!"

"Happy!" Lily shouted, as he booted an enemy away, "Get out of there!" However, Happy just flew by Lily, and one of the dark mages. At first it didn't seem like anything happened. However, suddenly, the thug literally lifted up, and was slammed into another person.

"What the hell are you doing?" one of the thug's asked, before he was knocked away by the same guy.

"My body's moving on its own!" Both Lily and Carla were quite surprised, until they noticed that Happy was manipulating the doll, and the guy was following his movements.

"What's that doll?" Carla asked.

"I got it from one of those Seven Kin guys," Happy answered, "His name's Mr. Cursey!" He then held it up proudly, as the punk followed him.

"Now that I've go this," Happy declared, "I can actually fight!" He then slammed the guy into the ground.

"Such actions seriously straddle the line between 'fighting' and 'playing'," Carla said with a sweat drop.

**(with Team Natsu)**

Laxus continued to duel Hades, as his guild mates tried to stay in the fight. Erza and Gray would occasionally leap at Hades with the Ten Commandments and ice respectively, but got deflected, while Wendy tried to boost Lauds, but her magic wasn't strong enough to make a real difference. However, despite the battle that waged outside, even it was dwarfed by the battle that raged within Natsu as Lucy continued to hold him.

_(within Natsu's mind)_

_With a cry, Natsu sprung at Smaug, who launched himself at Natsu. Managing to avoid the dragon's jaws, Natsu held back his fist, and slammed it into the side of Smaug's head. However, the serpent pushed back, pushing Natsu away. He then held up his claws, and slashed at Natsu, who managed to avoid it. As he fell back, Smaug roared, as he advanced over the burning rocks._

"_Fire Dragon's Sword Horn!" He launched himself at Smaug, only for the dragon to knock him away with his tail._

"_Is that really all you have, little one?" Smaug sneered, as he loomed over Natsu._

"_Far from it, you overgrown earthworm!" Natsu said. He then inhaled as his chest lit up.._

"_Fire Dragon's Roar!" Smaug held up his wing, as he blocked the worst of the fire, and with a wave, sent the fire back at Natsu. The force sent Natsu careening back, and he only had just enough time to avoid Smaug's talons reaping across the stone. As he fell back, Natsu looked at the fire near him, and promptly started grabbing at him. However, when he tried to swallow, nothing happened._

"_What? Why can't I eat this fire?" Natsu demanded out loud._

"_You should know the reason why," Igneel said. Natsu paused to think._

"_Wait!" he said, "You mean this _all _counts as _my _fire?"_

"_This is within you," Smaug said as he slithered down, "Why is that a surprise?" As he was talking, Natsu sprung at him again, his fist ignited again. Smaug was off guard just enough for him to be nailed in the snout. This through him off balance enough that Natsu grabbed one of the dragon's horns, and yanked him down. The force send the serpent down, and he was slammed head first into the ground._

"_How about that?" Natsu said with a grin._

"_Not bad little hatchling," Smaug growled as he pulled his head out of the rubble, shaking it slightly. Steam leaked out of his mouth, as his chest ignited._

"_But you are not nearly ready to face something like me." With that, he breathed a curtain of fire at Natsu, who leapt out of the way just in time._

"_You call that fire?" he said, "I'll show you really fire!" He then ignited both fists, and as he dove towards Smaug._

"_Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flame!" The burst of fire briefly hid Smaug from Natsu's glance, but a three clawed hand reached up, and grabbed him. Natsu barely even had time to react before he was thrown. He slammed through several rocks, and when he emerged, he saw Smaug soaring towards him._

"_Fire Dragon's Sniper!" Natsu said, firing a blast of fire from his finger tip, aiming for Smaug's eye. While it missed the eye, it struck Smaug on the brow, causing him to briefly lose his focus, and send him soaring down into the rocks. This gave Natsu a moment to catch his breath, and as he did, Igneel landed on a nearby rock._

"_You are doing well, Natsu," he said, "But well won't be enough as it is. You need to pour ever last aspect of your being into this fight if you wish to triumph."_

"_C'mon," Natsu said, as he wiped the side of his mouth, "Don't I always?" Igneel would've laughed, if not for the fact that Natsu was't winning the battle yet._

"_Be careful Natsu," Igneel said, narrowing his eyes, "Stronger men then you have tried, and failed." Natsu looked at his father, before looking as Smaug pulled himself out of the dust._

"_Well I ain't them," Natsu said, cracking his neck, "_I'm_ going to win this fight!" With that, he leapt back into battle._

_(in the real world)_

Lucy wasn't sure where to look at this point. While she wanted to watch what was happening with Laxus and Hades, she also had to keep an eye on Natsu. His scales continued to advance over his face, as Lucy noticed what looked like the makings of a tail at the base of his spine.

"Whatever's happening in there," she whispered, "You sure as hell better not lose!"

**Note: I wasn't going to show the whole fight between Natsu and Smaug in one chapter. There is a lot to cover.**

**Sorry for the wait, but a combination of real life factors that I don't feel like sharing kept me up. We're getting closer and closer to **_**Fairy Tail**_**'s conclusion. Its a shame, because its one of the few manga I seriously follow. I guess I'll just do what I do whenever I finish reading **_**Rave Master**_**: start from the beginning. Besides, its not like the conclusion of a series has stopped people from writing fan fiction.**

**Now I think is an appropriate point to describe just what exactly Smaug is in relation to Natsu. Simply put, Smaug is a manifestation of Natsu's Dragon Slayer Magic; he's not necessarily a separate being that exists within him like Igneel, so much as he's a piece of Natsu's being. In some respects, he represents the uncontrolled, more monstrous aspect of Natsu and his magic. By fighting him, Natsu was symbolically defeating that aspect of himself, and gaining control over its power.**

**Please review.**


	89. Natsu vs Smaug: Part II

_**Natsu vs Smaug: Part 2**_

For the first time in a while, Happy was fighting and winning, without just flying around dodging. Well, technically he was still doing that, only now he was carrying a magic doll. During this, Carla was made to fall back and take shelter, somewhat frustrated that she was being outclassed by Happy of all cats.

"Kitty Smackdown!" Happy said, as he held up the doll, and flew downward, sending a dark mage slamming into the ground, knocking several others away.

Meanwhile, Lily smacked another thug away, causing him to drop his sword. On reflex, Lily grabbed the sword, and he swung it, knocking away with both one swing. As he held it back, it changed size suddenly, much to Lily's surprise.

"This is just like my Buster Arm," Lily noted as he held up this weapon, before grinning, "I like this sword, I'm keeping it!"

"Ah come on," the thug groaned pitifully, "That thing was expensive."

**(with Team Natsu)**

During all of that, the battle between Laxus and Hades continued. Gray and Erza had tried to help, but a broken leg on Gray's part, and a couple broken ribs for Erza rather severely hampered their efforts. Wendy, who was severely drained on magical power, had curled up against the wall, to stay out of the way. That left Lucy, who was still holding Natsu close, her attention on him rather than the fight, as scales continued to crawl up his body. As for Natsu himself…

_(in the mental world)_

"_Fire Dragon's Wing Attack!" Natsu brought down his fire enhanced arms on Smaug, who held his head down and endured the attack. With a roar, the dragon brought his claws up, and grabbed Natsu, before slamming into the ground._

"_Is that really all you have, little wyrm," Smaug sneered. For an answer, Natsu grabbed one of Smaug's fingers, and leapt out of his grasp, breaking the finger in the process. Smaug roared in pain, only for the roar to be silenced when he got punched in the jaw, breaking a couple of teeth in the process. The force knocked the dragon back._

"_Is that all _you've_ got, you overgrown snake!" Natsu sneered, Smaug shook his head to clear it, spitting out the loose teeth in the process. With a roar, he exhaled a torrent of fire at Natsu, who had to remind himself to dodge it. Smug's tail then lashed out, and struck Natsu, sending him bouncing away. Not giving Natsu a chance to recover, Smaug held up a clenched fist, and drove both it, and Natsu, into the ground._

"_You're weak," Smaug said, "You don't deserve the power of a dragon."_

"_Screw you!" Natsu snapped, as he pulled himself out of the ground, rubbing his head. However, he was promptly pinned back to the ground._

"_Really, is that all you have to say?" Smaug sneered, "You think the power of a Dragon Slayer makes you a dragon." He pressed Natsu harder._

"_The dragons are the great serpents of magic," he said, "No lowly mortal is worthy of such power. Why dragons would ever bestow it upon you is beyond me?"_

"_That much is obvious!" Natsu snapped. Smaug narrowed his eyes._

"_Do so enlighten me."_

"_Its to deal with dragons like you!" Natsu said, "Igneel taught me this magic so I could stop you, and all the other evil dragons!"_

"_Evil?" Smaug growled, "I should expect such low thinking from such a low creature. You think you can sort everything into such clean roles? Fire is not good, nor is it evil. Do you think the wildfire that burns down the old forest is evil? Fire merely _is_. It is the purest avatar of destruction." At first Natsu was silent, which Smaug took as invitation to continue, only for a strike of pain to shoot up his finger. As he recoiled back, he realized Natsu had _bit_ him._

"_You're wrong!" Natsu said as he leapt back to his feet, "Fire is not destruction!"_

"_Then pray tell, what is it?"_

"_Its strength, its power," Natsu declared, "But above all else…" He clenched his fists, as images of Fairy Tail, Haru, and Lucy flashed through his eyes._

"_Fire is life!" he declared, "And I will not let you taint its power!" Igneel, from his perch, only smiled at the sight of his son._

"_Very well then, little one," Smaug said, holding back his claw, as his chest lit up, "Let us continue."_

_(in the physical world)_

Lucy tightened her hold on Natsu, who continued to pulse with magical energy. As she did, Laxus was knocked back into the wall, grabbing onto his side.

"Laxus!" Gray called.

"Don't distract me!" Laxus snapped, as he charged his fist. Hades cracked his neck, glaring at Laxus.

"You are certainly not bad, boy," he said, "Though you remind me more of Yury than Makarov. Curious, the resemblance you bear is beyond uncanny."

"I couldn't care less…" Laxus was silenced when one of Hades' magic bullets shot him in the thigh. That shook Laxus off rhythm just long enough for an Amaterasu formula to form around him.

"As skilled as you are," Hades said as the seal exploded, "You are still no where near the necessary level." As the dust cleared, it showed Laxus on the ground, nearly motionless.

"No," Erza whimpered, tears gathering in her eyes. Gray tried to get up, only to fall back down. Lucy saw that, and narrowed her eyes.

"You fought valiantly," Hades said, "All of you. But valiance is not enough for victory."

"Who said we were done here?" Laxus said, as he tried to pull himself up, "I'm just getting…" He was silenced when he got kicked in the face by Hades.

"Even in my day, Fairy Tail could never give up," Hades said, "You need to know your own limits." He then kicked Laxus repeatedly.

"Please stop," Wendy said weakly.

"You bastard!" Gray said, trying to get up, only to fall again.

_(in the mental world)_

_Natsu let out a cry as he had to dodge another strike from Smaug' s claws._

"_Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!" Natsu had been aiming for Smaug's shoulder, but the dragon shifted, as his massive tail came up. Said tail struck Natsu hard, and slammed into the ground. When he tried to move, he found that he was pinned._

"_I am a being of pure fire magic," Smaug said, "There is nothing you have at your disposal that can harm me." Natsu tried to protest, but could only grunt as he was pushed further into the ground by the dragon's tail._

_(in the physical world)_

Hades continued to kick Laxus, before he apparently got bored with the tormenting.

"Just go to sleep now," he sneered, holding up his finger to the mage. However, just as he was firing, Hades received a sudden head butt from Laxus. The forced knocked him back, as Hades was then blasted by a jolt of electricity.

"How did…"

"Who said _I _was the one to beat you?" Laxus said with a smirk, "I'm technically not a member of Fairy Tail now, so its not my problem to take care of these brats." That was when Hades got kicked in the face by a wind enhanced kick. Wendy panted, as she landed, as Hades skidded to a halt.

"After all you've been through, how…" That was when he noticed a strange glow. Everyone looked in the direction to the island. Something wasn't out place, so much as something was _in_ place.

"The tree…," Erza said.

"That's impossible!" Hades snapped. The Tenrou Tree was standing again.

**(at the Tenrou Tree)**

Ultear panted, as her magical seals swirled around her. Perhaps she was betraying her guild, but at this point, she knew she had to do this. From behind, Meredy watched in silence, with an indeterminable expression on her face. Mavis also watched with a stern expression that evolved in a smile of approval.

"Well done," was all she said. Further behind, Azuma sat in the branches, as he looked in the direction of the air ship.

"Go, Fairy Tail!" he said, "Fight for your guild."

**(at the airship)**

Lucy looked at her hand in surprise, as her guild mark glowed. The same thing was happening for her guild mates, as their guild marks lit up. Suddenly new strength coursed through their bodies. Through some unspoken communication, Erza, Gray, and Wendy all jumped into the air together.

"Bluemblatt!"

"Ice Make: Harpoon!"

"Sky Eclipse Dragon's Roar!" The three attacks combined into one. That struck at Hades, who only had time to create a brief barrier of dark energy. It may have reduced the attack slightly, but it still sent him tumbling back. Wendy, her Sky Eclipse Dragon power enhanced, she kicked Hades again, driving him into the ground.

"Ice Make: Hammer!" Gray created a hammer of ice that came down, and smashed Hades again.

"You damn hellions!" Hades said, as he began to pull himself up, only to be faced with Erza holding the Ten Commandments in its Explosion Form.

"Taste this!" Erza said, "Taste Fairy Tail!" Focusing all her magic energy into the spear, she released the explosion that was so big, it blew a piece of of the ship. For a time, dust concealed the whole area, as Lucy coughed. When it cleared, they couldn't see Hades anywhere.

"They did it," she said, smiling, hugging Natsu more. Her guild mates all doubled over right then.

"I think we overexerted ourselves some," Erza admitted.

"Let's just be glad its over," Gray said.

"Let me get to Natsu," Wendy said, making her way over to her brother.

"I won't deny that I'm impressed." Everyone was silenced as they looked over towards the dust, as Hades pulled himself out of it.

"Its been a long time since I've been hurt this badly," Hades said as he cracked his neck, and reached up to his eye, "As a reward for putting up a good fight, I will show you the full extent of my power." He then ripped off his eye patch. At first nothing happened, but then a ripple of dark energy came out from over him.

"Now witness, the Abyss of Magic!" the dark mage proclaimed, "The truest of all magic!"

"This power," Erza said, "Its…"

"Its terrible!" Wendy finished.

"Time to end this," Hades said, as he held up his hands, "Witness the deepest level of the dark! The deepest level of magic itself! The One Magic!" He then began waving his arms, before clasping them together.

"I invoke the 4th Chapter of the 12th Scripture of the Book of Zeref!" Hades said, "**Nemesis**!" From the rubble, dark hands reached out. Soon enough, monstrous creatures made out of pure darkness began to pull themselves out of the ground, and assembled around Hades.

"Now let the fairy be consumed by the demon." Fairy Tail tried to get into the fight, only to find themselves completely paralyzed by fear. Wendy even found herself sobbing. _I can't do anything_ Lucy thought_ I'm too scared. Please… help…_

"Help us, Natsu!" she cried.

_(in the mental world)_

"Help us Natsu!"

_New power swirled through Natsu's body, as his Fairy Tail mark started to glow. His eyes then snapped open._

"_I won't give up," he said, as he started to push again. Smaug arched an eye crest._

"_As long as I can fight, and as long as my family needs me, I won't give up!" With that, using his fire as a booster, he finally freed himself from Smaug's tail. Smaug opened his mouth, only to get struck in the nose._

"_You little…" The dragon couldn't finish the insult, as Natsu came down like an anvil onto the crown of the dragon's head. A claw then came up, and slashed the air that Natsu was once in. When Smaug noticed he missed, he looked around, and was at first unable to see Natsu, only to notice that the Dragon Slayer was hanging onto one of his horns._

_With a roar, Smaug reached up with his claw, only to get struck in the palm with Natsu's Fire Dragon Iron Fist. The force was so great, it broke the dragon's hand. Bellowing in pain, Smaug grabbed onto his broken hand. This distracted long enough for Natsu to put a devastating blow on the dragon's abdomen. This sent Smaug tumbling back into the smoke._

_Natsu panted, as he wiped the side of his mouth. He had been doing this for what felt a while, and he wasn't making much real progress. He wasn't sure why, he'd been putting all his fight into the effort. Perhaps he had been approaching this the wrong way. Igneel once told him that fighting fire with fire made for a good analogy, but in practice, it only made things burn hotter._

_That gave him an idea. Whenever he encountered a fire, he would generally just eat it. Though he had tried multiple times to eat it, it hadn't worked, since it was apparently _his_ fire. But maybe Natsu hadn't been approaching this whole fight from the right end. With that in mind, he decided to do something he never tried before: not fighting. Smaug growled as he emerged out of the smoke._

"_You will burn!" Smaug roared._

"_Don't steal my lines," Natsu said with a smirk. _

"_Why are you smirking about?" Smaug hissed, his eyes turning to slits._

"_You ain't worth the effort I've been putting into this," Natsu said, "You're inside of me, so that makes me the guy in charge."_

"_You impudent mite!" Smaug said, as his chest lit up. _

"_I've spent far too much time screwing around with you," Natsu continued, "Lucy and my family need me, don't we just finish this here and now?"_

"_Happy to oblige," Smaug said, as he released his fire onto Natsu. But to his surprise, the Dragon Slayer let the fire engulf him. He held still as he let it happen, but then Natsu opened his mouth inhaled deeply. That was when the fire that swirl around him began to slowly be absorbed into his jaws. Smaug was surprised, but still kept breathing fire, confident that it would eventually incinerate him._

I've been trying too hard to fight the fire,_ Natsu said_,And if I can't fight he fire, I'm going to control it!_ He continued sucking the fire into his maw. Igneel, from his position smiled._

"_Well done, Natsu," he said, "True power cannot be fought, it can only be harnessed."_ _Smaug couldn't even roar in defiance, as he was seemingly sucked in with the fire, vanishing into the Dragon Slayer's jaws. With that, Natsu snapped his mouth shut, and swallowed._

_Suddenly, everything was still, and then…_

_(in the physical world)_

There was a blast of hot energy that sent Lucy hurtling back from Natsu. Everyone turned, as they saw that the Dragon Slayer had been consumed by fire that turned into a pillar.

"_The power of the dragon is your's, Natsu, now use it!"_

A pair of great wings unfolded from the pillar, as did a long tail. A long neck then reached out, revealing a pair of glowing eyes, and a gaping maw of sharp teeth. The massive serpentine dragon let out a tremendous roar, the force of which could be heard all across the island, as the demons all shattered like stone. Hades couldn't even speak as he stared up in horror at the massive dragon looming over him.

"Where did that dragon come from?!" Gray demanded.

"Is that…," Erza said slowly.

"Big brother?" Wendy called weakly.

"Natsu," Lucy whispered. The massive serpent was still for a time, as its glowing gaze went down towards Hades.

"How is…" Hades couldn't finish as with a roar, the dragon held up his claw, and brought it down. Things seemed to slow down for Hades as the claw came upon him. _To think, this is what Makarov's generation was able to produce_ was all he had time to think as the dragon's claw slammed him into the ground.

There was an eerie silence, save for the sound of growling from the dragon that was Natsu, as he pulled his claw back. It revealed Hades utterly defeated, depressed into the ground.

"With just one strike…," Erza said in awe.

"Is that… really Natsu?" Wendy asked, tears still welling in her eyes.

After a time, Natsu spread his wings, and roared to the sky, as his draconic melted to flames, and faded away. Back in human form, Natsu floated to the ground, as he shifted slightly to maintain his balance. He looked around, to see everyone staring at him.

"What?" he asked with a weak grin, "Is that really the craziest thing you've seen me doing?" For a time, Lucy just stared, before a weak smile spread over her face

"That's at least in the top 3," she finally answered. Natsu chuckled slightly, as he fell to his knees. Lucy hurried over, and managed to catch him.

"You hot-headed idiot," she whispered slightly as she held Natsu close.

"You weirdo," Natsu countered, as he breathed in Lucy's scent. For a time the two savored the moment, before Natsu whispered two words into Lucy's ear:

"Marry me."

**Note: So Natsu has truly harnessed the power of the dragon. Some may call this ending anti-climatic, to which I would disagree. The characters all had their moments in the sun, including characters like Lucy who otherwise might not have been. Also, Natsu fought hard and long to achieve this power. This has been a long time coming, since the beginning of the story.**

**I cut the part where the Exceeds destroyed Hades heart, mostly because it wasn't really necessary. I don't think a dragon like Natsu turned into would really need such a thing for an advantage. I did try to give the Exceeds some stuff to do, though.**

**I'm going to say now, that I'm not going to show the skirmish with Acnologia, for the simple reason that there is nothing to show. Its exactly the same as canon in this version, and the result will be the same. But is that really a surprise? Its not like Natsu can use his new power on repeat.**

**Please review.**

**With two more chapters before the end of **_**Fairy Tail**_**, I'm curious as to what we'll be shown. Considering how **_**Rave Master**_** concluded, I'm inclined to think that Chapter 544 will be the conclusion of the battle, and I hope the last chapter we'll be able to see all the couples together. Mashima doesn't seem like the kind of writer to not leave such things fully resolved. I'm going to miss **_**Fairy Tail**_**.**


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